From degrees to deliveries: Film reveals hidden struggles of London’s riders

By Asia Samachar  | Britain |

On a London street, Mariam waits for her first order, talking quietly to herself as the app stays silent. When the job finally comes, it is worth just £2.90. She pulls on gloves against the cold, prepares her bike and heads out — another delivery in a life balanced between motherhood, business and survival.

This is one of the intimate moments captured in Danial Ray’s documentary, ‘From Degrees to Deliveries: Inside the Life of Europe’s Delivery Riders‘, now available on YouTube.

Over one week, Ray follows food delivery riders across Central London, Chinatown and Southall, offering a compelling look at the people behind late-night takeaway orders. The film moves beyond the familiar sight of riders waiting outside restaurants to reveal the pressures, ambitions and quiet struggles carried in delivery bags.

Mariam, a Pakistani immigrant living in London, runs a handmade slime business during the day and works part-time as a delivery rider when her son is at school or asleep. Others featured include students on post-study work visas, migrants juggling multiple jobs, and parents who turn to delivery work for flexibility.

“I import all the supplies from China , and then I make the finished product. Then I sell it on TikTok shop, Shopify, Ebay and Etsy,” said Mariam.

Does her family know she is a delivery rider? She replies: “They had a very weird reaction like, ‘Okay, this is something very crazy, and I’m getting myself into trouble for no reason.’ It was kind of weird, like they look down on this job.” At the point of the interview, her parents, who are in Pakistan, do not know she’s doing delivery work.

The documentary highlights a hard reality: many who arrive in the UK with degrees and dreams of better opportunities end up working 14 to 16 hours a day simply to survive. For some, delivery brings freedom and quick earnings. For others, it means long waits, falling rates, app problems, bad weather and customers who often blame riders when things go wrong.

Ray also captures the dignity and resilience of riders who continue despite exhaustion, social stigma and uncertainty. As one message from the film reminds viewers, the person bringing food “on two wheels” is not just carrying an order, but also dreams.

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