Up to 20 food delivery couriers live together in Helsinki — YLE News
In Helsinki, Finland, around 15–20 food delivery couriers live in one entrance of an apartment building. They live in large groups, and around two dozen electric bicycles can be seen near the building and in the parking area during the day, YLE News reports.
Two residents, whom the outlet calls “Rakib” and “Karim,” do not disclose their real names for fear of losing their jobs or housing. They moved into this building because it is located in an area with many restaurants and allows them to accept orders from home.
Six in one apartment
Rakib shares an apartment with five other Bangladeshis. Five of them work as couriers, while the sixth recently arrived in Finland and is temporarily living with them. The six men use three rooms and a kitchen. Three residents have framed beds, while the others sleep on mattresses on the floor.
According to Rakib, his typical workday as a Wolt courier lasts 12 hours. Both men came to Finland from Bangladesh to study. Rakib began an engineering program in 2022, and Karim in 2023. Karim received a master’s degree this summer, while Rakib interrupted his studies because of the COVID-19 pandemic, difficulties with a residence permit, and psychological strain.
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Unstable income and sauna
The men say they do not speak Finnish and consider this one of the barriers to finding employment outside food delivery. Karim recently began attending a Finnish language course. Rakib is considering returning to Bangladesh and starting a business if his residence permit, which expires at the beginning of next year, is not extended.
The couriers aim to earn 100 euros a day, but estimate that after expenses related to self-employment, they are left with around one-third of that amount. In August, Rakib transferred more than 600 euros to his family in Bangladesh, while Karim transferred 200 euros. YLE News reported that it had reviewed confirmation of these transfers.
The men previously lived in another residence in Helsinki, but according to Karim, they had to move out after the landlord said he had not known about the other residents of the apartment. Now, each courier, Rakib and Karim say, pays his share of the rent directly to the landlord. Every Saturday, the residents use the building’s shared sauna, where they also meet other couriers.
