The hidden cost of fast delivery: Consumer willingness to trade delivery time and cost for food delivery rider safety

Abstract

The online meal delivery services base speed and convenience as central service attributes, but this emphasis on fast delivery may compromise rider safety. Existing research has mainly focused on supply-side factors, such as rider behavior, to address the issue of safety, while little is known about whether consumers are willing to support safer delivery practices. This study addresses that gap through a stated-preference experiment with consumers of online food delivery services in Amsterdam and Copenhagen. Respondents chose between labelled cuisine alternatives that varied in delivery time, meal cost, delivery cost, and rider safety risk. A hybrid latent class choice model with random error terms was estimated to capture class-based heterogeneity and unobserved preferences. The results reveal two distinct consumer segments. One group is largely indifferent to rider safety, whereas the other is strongly safety-sensitive and willing to pay more or wait longer for safer delivery. These findings suggest that consumer-facing safety information in ordering apps could complement platform and regulatory interventions to improve the safety of delivery riders.