Uber is already trying to poach food delivery cyclists in London

Uber is trying to get cyclists at established food delivery startups like Take Eat Easy to sign up to its new UberEats platform, which is due to launch in the UK this year.

A group of Take Eat Easy riders told Business Insider on Tuesday that Uber used the Take Eat Easy app to order food to their London office in Aldgate. When the Take Eat Easy rider arrived with Uber's food, he was handed several UberEats fliers.

"One of the couriers that works with us found out [about UberEats]," said a Take Eat Easy rider in Shoreditch who claims to have already signed up to Uber's restaurant food delivery service. "They gave him shit loads of fliers. He passes them round. They [Uber] get loads of couriers coming."

Another rider confirmed the Take Eat Easy delivery to Uber's office, saying: "He went over there and delivered them some food."

Several other Take Eat Easy riders in the group that Business Insider spoke to said they've also signed up to deliver food over the UberEats platform.

An Uber spokesman said: "We've had a stack of information cards on reception for a week or so and if people work late - like in many offices - they sometimes get food delivered. I imagine someone passed one of the cards to them."

While Take Eat Easy pays riders by the hour, Uber is apparently going to pay riders based on the number of deliveries they do. One of the riders told us that Uber is offering to pay cyclists £3.00 per delivery, plus £1.60 per mile. He said Uber will then take 20% of the final fee.

"We've got a set lunch and set evening shift and we get a certain amount of pay per hour [at Take Eat Easy], whereas with Uber it's per delivery basis," said the Take Eat Easy rider. "We could work for both," he added.

Deliveroo, arguably the best-known restaurant food delivery company in the UK, was trialling a similar pay-by-delivery model with its drivers in Chiswick, West London.

In the UK, Deliveroo riders are paid £7 per hour with £1 commission for each delivery. Under the new payment model, which was trialled in Chiswick, they were paid £4.25 per delivery. Several Deliveroo riders told the BBC that this meant they were earning less than minimum wage (£7.20 per hour). Deliveroo UK and Ireland managing director Dan Warne said the pay-by-delivery test would run for a few more weeks when Business Insider spoke to him last month.

When asked about how much Uber plans to pay riders in London, Uber's spokesman said the exact details are still to be confirmed, adding: "We're aiming to be the best option for couriers."