Mumbai, March 13 -- Food delivery riders in the city are beginning to feel the impact of the LPG shortage triggered by the ongoing conflict in West Asia, as restaurants trim their menus and prioritise walk-in customers. Gig worker unions said delivery partners working with platforms such as Zomato and Swiggy are reporting a drop in daily trips. The conflict in Iran has disrupted global gas supply chains, affecting LPG availability and pushing up costs for restaurants across several Indian cities. "On average, we were completing 18-22 trips daily to deliver food from these apps. This has dropped by 10%-15%," said V Devre, a delivery partner who works for a food delivery platform. "As far as earnings are concerned, they haven't been revised since Covid-19, when commissions dropped by 30%-35% from app-based food aggregators. Currently, we are mostly taking and delivering food orders from large restaurants that have the capacity to sustain." Gig workers typically earn commissions based on the number of trips they complete. Union leaders claimed that food delivery platforms may have raised their commissions due to increased demand, but are not passing the incentives to delivery partners. "We have received complaints from the drivers about the drop in food delivery trips," said Prashant Sawardekar, president of the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers. "We have demanded that the government implement welfare schemes for app-based drivers, but this has not happened yet. In a war-like situation, app-based companies should contribute to the welfare of gig workers." Restaurant owners said they have already informed food delivery platforms that they will not accept all online orders if LPG supplies remain uncertain. "Although it does not matter whether we get an order from a walk-in customer or through an app, a walk-in customer is more likely to receive first preference," said a restaurant owner who did not want to be named. Zomato and Swiggy declined to comment....