One area where the presence of foreigners is particularly noticeable is food delivery. On the streets of Riga, couriers with large 'Bolt Food' bags can increasingly be seen communicating with customers in English. This has sparked debates. However, as the head of 'Bolt' in Latvia, Janis Rimicāns, states, the market can no longer cope without this resource. This is reported by LA.
According to him, the country is experiencing both a low unemployment rate and an annual decrease in the number of people of working age by several thousand. There is a shortage of labor in passenger transport and the food service industry. Due to the lack of drivers, it is sometimes impossible to carry out intercity routes.
"Without couriers, restaurants will suffer," emphasizes Janis Rimicāns. The company clarifies: couriers and drivers are not employees of 'Bolt'. The platform provides a digital environment, and partners register as self-employed or individual entrepreneurs with the State Revenue Service and pay their own taxes. The conditions are the same for everyone.
Foreigners can join the platform only if they have a valid residence permit and knowledge of the Latvian language. A license from the Road Transport Administration is required for passenger transport, and the language level must be at least B1. An exception is temporarily in place for citizens of Ukraine.
The company urges customers to report through the app if the driver does not speak Latvian. In this case, a re-verification of documents is conducted.
According to 'Bolt', delivery accounts for 30 to 50 percent, and sometimes up to 70 percent of restaurant turnover. Each order generates VAT revenue for the budget. Without a sufficient number of couriers, these turnovers and tax revenues will decrease.
