Stuart courier in London: pay, vehicles and real take-home

Platform: Stuart | City: London | Last verified: 20 April 2026

Requirements

• Aged 18 or over, right to work in the UK confirmed.
• For cycle and e-bike couriers: no licence requirement but you need a roadworthy bike, lights, helmet and phone mount.
• For scooter, motorbike or car couriers: full UK driving or riding licence, hire and reward insurance covering carriage of goods for reward, MOT and roadworthiness.
• Thermal delivery bag, smartphone that runs the Stuart partner app.
• UK bank account for weekly payments, and a proof of address Stuart will accept.
• Pass Stuart's onboarding checks.

Realistic earnings

Stuart London pay structure in 2025 to 26 is base fee plus distance plus occasional boosts and multi-drop credits. After 2023 and 2024 cuts, minimum fees for jobs within 0.5 miles sit at £3.35 for cyclists and £3.65 for scooters, with longer jobs paying more. A March 2025 Stuart car delivery ad quoted "up to £800 a week" and a minimum £8 an hour guarantee, that is gross and depends on real order flow. Realistic net London earnings for cyclists are £10 to £14 an hour on busy zones and busy hours, £6 to £10 an hour on quiet stretches. Scooter and car couriers aim for £12 to £16 an hour gross but fuel, congestion and waiting drag net lower.

Busiest times and areas

Stuart powers grocery and retail deliveries for Tesco, Co-op, Sainsbury's and other retail clients. In London that means pickups at supermarket branches and partner shops rather than Amazon style depots. Busy zones typically track London's inner zone plus the higher density grocery catchments: Islington, Hackney, Shoreditch, Camden, Kensington, Chelsea, Clapham, Brixton and Canary Wharf all surface in Stuart rider chat as reliable pickup clusters. Demand peaks at evenings, weekends and around Sainsbury's and Tesco rapid delivery hours.

Local costs

• London ULEZ at £12.50 a day applies to non-compliant cars and vans in all boroughs 24/7. Non-compliant scooters and motorbikes also pay if they fail Euro 3. Compliant petrol cars from 2006 on and diesel cars from late 2015 on avoid the charge.
• Bike and e-bike couriers have no zone cost but need to budget for bike maintenance, waterproof kit and at least one decent lock.
• Hire and reward cover for scooter or car couriers runs £800 to £1,500 a year on top of SD&P.
• Factor London parking, bus lane fines and lost time on congested A roads.

Local support

• Union coverage: IWGB Couriers and Logistics branch is the most active voice for Stuart and platform couriers, ADCU for private hire overlap, GMB runs broader Amazon organising.
• Debt advice and tax help: StepChange, National Debtline, Citizens Advice Greater London, TaxAid for complex tax cases and HMRC Time to Pay on 0300 200 3822.
• Legal support for deactivation and pay cuts: IWGB and Leigh Day have both taken gig courier instructions, and The Grocer's 2024 reporting on Stuart's stealth pay cuts has given unions material to lean on.