Through the huge glass facade of the former EDF agency at 70, boulevard Barbès, in the 18and arrondissement of Paris, you can see childlike drawings of brightly colored characters painted all over the back wall. A coffee machine, a microwave oven, a kettle, tea bags are placed on tables. A 20-year-old bicycle meal delivery man, who wishes to remain anonymous, arrives. He puts his bike battery to charge. “I’m going to go get my hair done in a shop next door, before 7 p.m., the time when the races resume”, he explains. Without papers, he works for Deliveroo by renting the account of a delivery man in good standing for 100 euros per week, and sleeps “right, left”.
La Maison des couriers, a space open since September 2021 free of charge to platform deliverers, accessible from Wednesday to Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., allows them to settle down, discuss with colleagues, be supported to administrative or legal procedures, and access to toilets. Circé Lienart, coordinating director of this place, explains, for example, that for the Deliveroo delivery man, “we have launched a request for a Navigo pass at a preferential rate which is aimed at people in an irregular situation benefiting from state medical aid”under certain conditions.
This project, led by the federation of bicycle delivery cooperatives CoopCycle, was launched in 2020 by Barbara Gomes, municipal councilor (French Communist Party) of the 18and arrondissement. The elected representative mentions the increased need for support, due to the fact that “more and more delivery people are undocumented”. In December, the City of Paris voted a grant of 35,000 euros for this project. For meme Gomes, platforms should fund this space “as part of their responsibility as employers”, that they don’t recognize. “We had to take this social emergency measure, because extremely precarious people are circulating in our streets”she adds.
Assistance with regularization
Welcoming 10 to 15 people a day, Mme Lienart faces a variety of issues: “Delivery people arrive here by word of mouth, without really knowing what they will find there. First I offer them a tea or a coffee, then I submit a questionnaire to find out who they are. » Many have low incomes, housing problems, she observes. Currently, one person in two is undocumented; nearly two-thirds have had a bicycle or scooter accident, and many suffer from chronic pain due to a lack of appropriate care. A health permanence is planned.
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