Slots, Swaps & Absence

Every Wednesday, a variety of new slots are published for the following week (Monday to Sunday). For Vienna, this happens at 2:00 p.m., otherwise at 1:00 p.m.

Swaps are slots that have already been booked but are then available again. 

If you have booked a slot but are unable to take it, you can offer your slot for exchange by clicking on ‘Offer exchange’. Other riders can then book it and it will be removed from your calendar.

💡There are a few important things to bear in mind when swapping slots! You can find the exact deadlines and procedures in the next questions below!

As a free employee, you have the option of changing or swapping your slots if you cannot make it to your slot.
To do this, simply select the corresponding slot in the Rider App and click on ‘Offer swap’.

You can do this up to 2 hours before the start of the slot. If you announce your absence less than 2 hours before the start of the slot, then the following rules apply:

2 hours or less before the start of your session:

For short-term no-shows (less than 2 hours before the start of the slot), please write us a ticket below and attach your documents. We strongly recommend that you see a doctor immediately in case of illness.

First of all: congratulations to you! 🌞

Please be aware that from now on there are several things that you must do:

For us, we need to know some data for your pregnancy because we need to notify the Labor Inspectorate. This is necessary by law. 

Please let us have: 

• the doctor's certificate that you are pregnant, 

• which week you are in and 

• when is the expected date of birth.

For you, from now on there are certain things that you must consider: 

• mandatory maternity protection: this is a law that says: 8 weeks before the expected date of birth and 8 weeks after the birth you are not allowed to work. This law wants to protect mothers and you have an absolute right to it. If the birth is by cesarean, the protection period is longer (also for early birth; period is then 12 weeks before and after).

• should you feel unable to work because of physical conditions, please go to your general practitioner or your gynecologist and ask for an early mandatory maternity protection. This early protection is not always possible, it is for the doctor to decide. It can be granted from the 21st week of pregnancy onwards. If you feel sick, please bring a confirmation from the doctor as usual. 

• the employer (we as foodora) cannot end the cooperation with you while you are in the maternity protection period (8 weeks before and after birth or 12 weeks). You are protected for 4 months after the birth.

• maternity protection money: you are legally entitled to maternity protection money. There is a minimum of 10,35 Euro daily (as of 2023). However, if you earn more than the minimum of currently 551,10 Eur monthly, the maternity protection money is higher. It will then be an average of the net salary of the last 3 months before you go in maternity protection. Please turn to the payroll team (ticket in the rider support) to ask for an Arbeits- und Entgeltbestätigung for 2023.

💡Here are some links that you might find useful: 

• Arbeiterkammer

• Österreich.gv.at, this is a fabulous site with a lot of information around pregnancy as well  

Safety for the baby is now the first priority. Please also consider lifting heavy weights, working during night, long hours of work. Being a free employed rider, there are not as many rules, but still safety goes first. 

If you are represented as a free employee, that is - as it has been before - allowed.

However, you must ensure that the applicable laws and regulations are also adhered to by the person representing you. This means, among other things, that your substitute must comply with the rules of the road and possess a valid work permit in Austria.

Please verify the fulfilment of the legal requirements (e.g., work permit, social security registration if required, etc.) before the start of the respective representation. 

Violations of applicable law can, in the worst case, lead to administrative penalties against you and your representative. Additionally, for the safety of both you and your representative, always use the appropriate equipment, at least a helmet and a properly equipped bicycle.

First of all, we hope that you are okay! In case of an accident, these are the 3 most important steps to follow:

1. Get an overview of the situation: Have you or another person been injured?
2. Call for emergency services (144) and/or the police (133) if you or others are injured, or if the question of fault is unclear.
3. Report the accident to us promptly via ticket, once you are out of danger. Inform the dispatcher if you are unable to complete your delivery.

💡Of course, the whole process is more extensive, so there are a few other points to consider. Learn more about accidents, insurance and the full procedure here!

If you have problems with your equipment, please follow these steps:

1. Go to Pause in the Rider App

2. Repair your tire or equipment

3. Continue delivering as soon as you have fixed the problem.

💡If you can't fix the problem yourself, come to the Rider Station!

If your bike or cell phone is broken, swap your slot in time. Find out how you can change your slot as a free employee.

If you want, you can also rent an e-bike from one of our cooperation partners for the meantime. You can find all information about the e-bikes here.

Here you will find all the important information for problems during your slot.

If you cannot find a solution there, please always contact the dispatcher during your slot via the Rider app by clicking on the headphone icon in the top right-hand corner.

If you have any questions or other concerns outside of your slots, please contact Rider Support via ticket. 

💡You can find all information about our support system for Riders here!

A no-show occurs when a booked slot is neither attended, rescheduled, nor excused. This can impact your planned vs. actual rate.

As stated before, if you are working as a free employee, you may swap your slots up to 2 hours before the scheduled start time without prior notice to avoid a no-show. If less than 2 hours remain before the slot begins and you are unable to attend, please submit a ticket.