What Happened
The delivery business in Panama is shifting as motorizados who worked with PedidosYa increasingly move to other platforms, including Uber Eats and Indrive, while some also take direct orders from restaurants to keep earning.
The change follows nearly a week of service suspension by riders protesting PedidosYa’s new per-kilometer tariff policy. Since Monday, April 13, about 4,100 independent riders tied to the platform stopped accepting and delivering orders, disrupting service for more than 3,500 businesses nationwide.
Pedro Reyes, an advisor to the riders, said roughly 40% are now opting for other platforms. He said Uber Eats offers a smaller flow of orders, while Indrive is mainly used for package and messaging services.
Why Riders Are Protesting
According to the riders, the new payment model reduces their earnings by between 36% and 40%. They say the base rate has fallen from $2.50 to about $1.95 per delivery, and they want it raised to $3.50.
Reyes said the group has not managed to secure a meeting with the company to negotiate a new tariff structure. Riders maintain that the revised model leaves them with significantly lower income at a time when demand for delivery work remains high.
For many drivers, moving to other apps is a stopgap rather than a full solution. Even there, the earnings are lower, with Reyes saying Uber Eats can pay around $1 to $1.15 per order, though tips can help. Indrive, he added, is limited largely to courier-style work.
Restaurants and Consumers Feel the Impact
Domingo de Obaldía, a representative of the Association of Merchants and Restaurants, said many businesses have temporarily disconnected from PedidosYa because of repeated customer complaints about delayed deliveries and, in some cases, lost money.
He said restaurants are now working only with delivery operators that remain active and are encouraging customers to pick up their orders directly or eat on-site. Around 70% of restaurants have suspended delivery service, he said, because they are unwilling to keep using a platform if the service cannot be guaranteed.
The disruption has also affected sales. Restaurants and merchants say the delivery slowdown has reduced transactions and forced them to adjust how they serve customers during the dispute.
What Comes Next
The riders expect to return on Monday to press for another meeting with the company. If talks fail, they are considering other options, including launching their own delivery platform.
The standoff highlights how important app-based delivery has become in Panama’s food and courier market, and how quickly a payment dispute can ripple across riders, restaurants and consumers.