THE online food delivery company Deliveroo says it has seen a 305 per cent growth in orders in Bournemouth in the past 12 months.

The UK-based business – which delivers takeaway food to customers via bicycle, car and moped couriers – says it is now partnered with nearly 100 restaurants in the area.

It says the number of riders working in Bournemouth in the past 12 months has tripled to more than 400. Staff are not directly employed but paid per job as self-employed members of the “gig economy”.

Deliveroo works by charging commission to both the restaurant and the customer ordering the food via its app or website.

It claims restaurants which use Deliveroo see their revenue boosted by up to 30 per cent, enabling them to hire more people and expand.

Bournemouth-based Chicken & Blues, which has restaurants at Boscombe and Ashley Cross, is among the businesses signed up with the service.

Its co-founder Josh Simons said: “We have worked with Deliveroo since their launch in Bournemouth, and have been highly impressed. We have seen an increase in incremental revenue, and the team are always looking at ways to improve the efficiency of the service. Added to this, our customers enjoy the usability and effectiveness of the app.”

Deliveroo’s revenues grew by 611 per cent last year, but losses rose from £30.1million to £129.1m.

It recently secured new investment of 385m US dollars, which it says constitutes one of the single largest foreign investments into the UK in recent years. The investment values the company at more than two billion dollars.

The company aims to recruit 1,000 more riders in the UK by the end of the year and is offering current riders £200 for successfully recruiting a newcomer.

Dan Warne, Deliveroo’s UK managing director, said: “Deliveroo’s rapid growth in Bournemouth means customers have more choice, restaurants are able to increase their revenue and riders have opportunity to choose well-paid, flexible work.

“Deliveroo’s fundraising will mean greater growth and new innovations. More restaurants will be able to deliver their food direct to people’s homes or offices and there will be more work available for people who want to be riders and fit their work around their life rather than trying to fit life around their work. Now, right across Bournemouth we are looking for more riders to join us as we grow, so we can deliver even more amazing food to our brilliant customers.”

Deliveroo is to invest in Editions – delivery-only kitchens which enable partner restaurants to expand without traditional up-front costs.

It is to expand the technology team behind its algorithm, called Frank, which uses predictive technology to assess the most efficient way of distributing orders based on the location of restaurants, riders and customers. Deliveroo says the algorithm has cut average delivery times by nearly 20 per cent since it was introduced in January.