Portraits of gig workers in rare moments off the clock

When 25-year-old Guilherme wants to take a break during his 8-hour shift as a Rappi delivery worker in São Paulo, he heads towards the nearest public square to sit on a concrete bench under a thatch of trees. He chats with other workers while filling up his water bottle. When he gets hungry, he buys some pão de queijo — Brazilian cheese bread — from a street vendor nearby.

Gig workers around the world spend long hours rushing from one job to the next, with few breaks, if any. In January, Rest of World met with 104 ride-hailing drivers, delivery workers, and cleaners across 10 cities in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, to understand how and where they rest between gigs. Nearly half the gig workers surveyed told us that they had been harassed, or had their belongings stolen while taking a break.

Read: How gig workers find rest

The workers also often navigate harsh — and dangerous — challenges like heavy traffic, cops who refuse to let them park their cars to collect deliveries, security personnel who drive them away from residential areas, and restaurants that stop them from sitting outside, even while waiting to pick up orders.

Rest of World’s photographers shadowed gig workers in four of these 10 cities — São Paulo, Lagos, Dhaka, and Jakarta — to get an intimate look at how they catch a breather between orders. The level of safety and comfort differs from one city to the other. In São Paulo, some workers have access to company-run hubs where they can relax on bean bags, charge their devices, and warm their food. But in Jakarta, most workers take breaks at makeshift wooden shelters set up by gig worker communities.

The common thread we discovered between gig workers across the four cities was a sense of community. The workers laughed and joked together, shared cigarettes, napped, and watched videos on their phones … until their app pinged to indicate an order. They then got back into their cars or jumped back on their bikes and went back to their day.

Dhaka, Bangladesh

In Dhaka, delivery workers mostly use bicycles for their work. As they navigate the city’s unruly traffic for hours, they need breaks to recharge. They congregate at roadside tea stalls and chat with other workers over cups of chai, smoke cigarettes, and charge their phones.

With no formal parking facilities for bicycles in Dhaka, gig riders often take a break on sidewalks with their bikes propped up by their side. Tanjimul Islam for Rest of World

Delivery riders working in the same area regularly meet up at lunch and tea spots between deliveries.

Open-air street food stalls are a daily pit stop for breakfast, offering both affordable and convenient options.

Imran, a delivery rider for RedX, often gathers with friends for a few minutes at the end of his shift before returning to his office nearby to submit a daily report.

Jakarta, Indonesia

In Jakarta, gig workers often rest at base camps operated by peer-support groups known as communities, though platforms like Grab and inDrive also provide lounges in the city. The workers spend time playing games on their phones, chatting with each other, and napping.

Gig riders are seated, using their phones and smoking at a local food stall which also serves as a makeshift basecamp in Manggarai, South Jakarta. — Gig workers in Jakarta have started dozens of community-run base camps where they can rest while waiting for orders.

Gig riders lie down on a blue tarp spread on a sidewalk behind a gated housing compound in Kalibata, South Jakarta. — Leaders of the gig worker communities are responsible for setting up some of the resting spaces, which offer amenities such as charging points.

Leaders of the gig worker communities are responsible for setting up some of the resting spaces, which offer amenities such as charging points.

Gojek car driver Bayu Jati Purnomo, 43, likes to take his breaks at the mosque, or at a hospital parking lot. “It’s spacious and has lots of food stalls,” he told Rest of World. “And no one will interrogate you. No one will ask you, ‘What are you going to do in a hospital parking area?’”

While resting at base camps, workers chat with each other while charging their phones — before they set off to pick up another passenger.

São Paulo, Brazil

In São Paulo, workers take breaks at iFood rest stops and public squares. But sometimes, during languid afternoons when orders are few and business is slow, they play a game of football at Ibirapuera, the largest public park in the city.

An iFood support point showing gig workers eating meals tables and watching television. — IFood has established more than 170 “support points” in São Paulo in partnership with local authorities and restaurants.

The rest stops offer workers a place to recharge their phones, heat up their meals in the microwave, watch television, and use the bathroom.

Delivery drivers play soccer during the daytime, an iFood delivery box is placed by the courtside. — Delivery drivers often gather for breaks at the free football courts in Ibirapuera Park.

Luisa Pereira, a 42-year-old Uber driver, has tinted film on her car windows as a safety measure, protecting her from street harassment and robberies. When she takes breaks, she usually parks her car, locks it, and stays inside.

Workers on motorcycles rest on the streets — eating packed lunches from home while sitting on sidewalks, or at roadside restaurants that provide them access to toilets and phone chargers.

Lagos, Nigeria

For gig workers in Lagos, taking a break is a luxury that they often cannot afford as they try to earn enough to support their families. But when they do pause, an alleyway outside a restaurant is their best option. It’s normal for 20-year-old Philip Saheed to skip breaks altogether and work for nine hours nonstop. But if he gets a chance, he heads to a restaurant called The Place in the Yaba area of Lagos to grab a meal.