In this paper the authors seek to characterize better the profile and working conditions of couriers working for instant food delivery platforms. The results are based on two studies carried out in 2016 and 2018 among dispatch riders operating in the eastern part of inner Paris, mainly for the Deliveroo, Foodora, UberEats and Stuart platforms. As it develops, instant delivery seems to be gradually becoming more of a full-time job for young people leaving school early, rather than a side job for students or employees to make some money in their spare time. The article also highlights the many tensions at play in instant urban delivery, which is subject to the traditional constraints of rapid urban delivery, amplified by couriers’ weak position in terms of the conditions set by the platforms (self-employed status, payment per delivery, maximum delivery times), as well as regulations imposing the use of a bicycle even though the conditions—traffic, travel from home and maximum delivery times—make this mode of transport dangerous and often unsuitable.