Riders on the road: An interface-centred analysis of the delivery platform workforce in Spain

This article applies an interface-centred framework to examine the everyday work of riders working for platforms in Spain. We present a close analysis of the interactions among riders and other human, institutional and technological actors before and after the Spanish ‘Rider Law’ came into force in 2021. The findings reveal the increasing complexity of the last-mile delivery interface, observed in the rise of a dense network of intermediary actors, increasing precarity and a growing number of conflicts and critical issues that affect these workers. The study concludes with a reflection on the interface analysis approach as an analytical model that can be scaled to other areas of social life.