As gig workers push for fair pay and safer conditions, an AAP MP and a technology entrepreneur took to the streets to experience platform work first-hand.
New Delhi: As protests and demands by gig workers continue to draw attention across India, a growing number of public figures are choosing to step beyond statements and experience platform work first-hand, bringing renewed focus to the lived realities behind app-based convenience.
In recent weeks, two such instances involving AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha and technology entrepreneur Bishnu Dev Changkakoti, Founder and CEO of insiderOne AI have sparked discussion around dignity of labour, public perception, and the future of gig work in India.
Though their approaches differed, both actions underscored a similar point: debates around the gig economy are incomplete without understanding the daily experiences of those who power it.
A Lawmaker Steps into the Delivery Loop
Last week, Chadha was seen accompanying a delivery partner of quick-commerce platform Blinkit, completing deliveries across parts of Delhi. A video shared on social media showed him navigating traffic, collecting orders, and speaking with delivery workers.
Chadha said the experience was intended to help him better understand the pressures faced by gig workers, beyond policy discussions and parliamentary debates. His move came amid renewed demands by delivery partners for higher per-order pay, safer working conditions, and a review of ultra-fast delivery timelines, which workers argue increase road risk.
The MP has previously raised concerns about platform work conditions, including after hosting a delivery partner for lunch following a viral clip highlighting long hours and modest earnings. Chadha has argued that while digital platforms have expanded consumer convenience, worker welfare has not kept pace.
A Founder Takes to the Streets
Around the same time, but without public announcement, Changkakoti quietly signed up as a driver on Uber and began offering rides across Delhi on his Honda Activa.
The experience took place in January, one of the city’s coldest months. Between rides, Changkakoti spent hours waiting in fog-covered streets, observing passenger behaviour and reflecting on the everyday economics of gig work. He said he often passed the time listening to BBC Radio London, drawing a contrast between global conversations and local realities.
What stood out to him were subtle but recurring patterns?
Passengers above the age of 40, often paying in cash, frequently rounded up fares. Younger riders, largely using digital payments, were more likely to round down by a rupee or two. While the amounts were small, Changkakoti noted that such micro-interactions take on significance in an income model dependent on volume and consistency.
“In isolation, it may not seem important,” he later said. “But over a full day or month, these differences affect both earnings and morale.”
A Moment That Reflected Social Perception
One interaction, he said, highlighted the social dimension of gig work. A passenger in his mid-40s, travelling to attend a family wedding, struck up a conversation during the ride. On learning that the driver was a software engineer by training, the passenger responded warmly and asked his son who received him at the destination to take the driver’s contact details and offer professional help.The son’s response, however, was noticeably reserved.
“It wasn’t overt hostility,” Changkakoti recalled later. “It was indifference.”For him, the moment illustrated how gig workers are often assessed through occupational labels rather than individual capability a reality many platform workers say they encounter regularly.
India is home to one of the world’s largest gig workforces, supporting ride-hailing, food delivery, and quick-commerce platforms. Estimates suggest that many gig workers earn between ₹20,000 and ₹25,000 a month, often without social security, health insurance, or predictable working hours.
Recent strikes and coordinated protests across cities have brought renewed attention to issues such as low per-order pay, algorithmic management, safety risks, and the absence of formal labour protections.
While individual acts cannot address structural challenges on their own, labour experts say such first-hand engagement can help broaden public understanding.
Beyond Symbolism
Both Chadha and Changkakoti later shared their experiences publicly Chadha through social media and advocacy, and Changkakoti through detailed reflections accompanied by screenshots of his driver dashboard.
Their actions reflect a broader shift: a recognition that the gig economy cannot be understood solely through data points, dashboards, or growth metrics.
As India debates the future of platform work, these accounts add a human dimension to a conversation often dominated by convenience and scale.
What They Said
Raghav Chadha, AAP MP:
Policies made from a distance often miss ground realities. Spending a day with delivery partners helped me understand the pressure they face from tight timelines to uncertain earnings.
Bishnu Dev Changkakoti, Founder & CEO, insiderOne AI:
This was not about making a statement. It was about understanding what daily work feels like for millions who keep our cities moving. Dignity of labour has to be non-negotiable.
Gig workers’ union representative (IFAT):
Public figures experiencing gig work first-hand helps bring attention to issues workers have been raising for years fair pay, safety, and social security.