Amazon Flex Brisbane and Gold Coast: Where is it Available, Pay Rate and Requirements

Following two other big cities Sydney and Melbourne, the Amazon Flex program was introduced in Queensland last September 2020. This is one of the company’s programs to increase its delivery capacity and speed up deliveries for customers. The Flex program is also very helpful for companies to ramp up deliveries during peak demand, especially during Australian sale events such as Black Friday and Boxing Day.

To date, Amazon Flex at QLD has only opened in the two largest cities in the state, Brisbane and the Gold Coast. However, it is possible that someday it will also be opened in several other cities or regional areas such as the Sunshine Coast or Townsville. As you may know before opening this program in a new city, Amazon will need to prepare its infrastructure such as a warehouse or delivery stations before recruiting delivery drivers.

The opening of this program provides an opportunity for gig drivers in the QLD to earn additional income by delivering parcels from delivery stations to Amazon customers with their own vehicles.

Where is it Available in QLD?

For delivery drivers who wish to join Amazon Flex in QLD, the following are some cities and locations of delivery stations where drivers have to pick up parcels which they must deliver according to the time specified in the delivery block.

Information about the location of the delivery station can be one of the considerations for new delivery drivers to register for this program. Because they can estimate their own expenses to reach the pickup location and to back at home after complete a delivery, is it worth it or not.

Flex Driver Requirements

Although some states have their own regulations ruling workers working in this field, there is no significant difference regarding requirements to become Amazon Flex drivers in Brisbane and Gold Coast.

Indeed, there are some additional requirements that distinguish it from other cities, which we will explain in more detail below.

• Has to be over 20 years or older
• Have an Australian Business Number (ABN)
• Provide a full unrestricted Australian licence. The provisional or overseas licence will be rejected.
• Pass a criminal background check. The company uses a third-party agency called Accurate.
• Traffic history report (last 5 years) from Transport QLD. It will cost $25.50 but Amazon will reimburse it to you once your account is activated.
• A 4-door passenger vehicle, or a similar that is large enough to carry the parcels. The use of the larger vehicle such as cargo vans and light trucks are temporarily suspended due to yard restrictions at some of Amazon delivery stations, including in the Brisbane and Gold Coast, however, utes with trays do not qualify.
• Automobile insurance at least Compulsory Third Party (CTP) insurance with liability policy for third-party property damage.

Find out more about the registration process for new delivery drivers in our article about Amazon Flex Drivers in Australia.

Amazon Flex Pay Brisbane – Gold Coast

Amazon pays drivers based on the number of the delivery block they run each day but we don’t know for sure how they calculated the pay for a block. However, they most likely determined it by calculates the average amount of time for a driver to complete a delivery block, the distance driven between stops, and many others.

According to the delivery block we got from a driver. Currently, most blocks in Brisbane are worth $108 which is the minimum value/price for a 4 hours block in Australia. From this we can determine how much Amazon pay its Flex drivers, it’s around $27 per hour. But you need to know that some drivers can complete the 4 hours block in 2 or 3 hours which means much better hourly pay.

Amazon Flex Block Brisbane

These block prices do apply to Brisbane but may also apply to other cities in QLD such as the Gold Coast. The prices will not be much different or maybe exactly has the same value.

However, there’s a possibility that one day the block prices in Brisbane and other cities in QLD will be higher when the demand for this service increases. At least this has happened in Sydney where recently drivers have started getting higher block prices. The highest pay block we’ve seen in Sydney is $160 for a 4 hours block or about $40 per hour.

Is Amazon Flex worth it?

This program is designed to be flexible with the hours that the driver wants to work, even providing them with opportunities to set their own schedule. Many say that working with Amazon Flex could be worth it only when you make this program a complement to your main gig delivery job, considering that this job only requires a couple of hours to complete in a day.

For example, an Uber Eats or Doordash driver could take a 4 hours block scheduled from 14:00 to 18:00 since at that time food delivery orders were not busy enough. By taking that block schedule, a delivery driver can still maximize their income during lunch and dinner time which is the busiest time for food delivery orders.

Amazon has been expanding into various markets with their online retail stores. They have expanded to the Australian market in late 2017 with two distribution centres. This expansion will allow them to deliver faster to the customer and offer more items to be purchased on their platform.

The company doing extensive research for a reliable delivery partner that can work with them on their core service in the country before they decide to launched the Amazon Flex program in Australia. The program relies on independent contractors and is not meant for people looking for a regular job.

Amazon Flex was launched in early 2020 and now has been one of the key contributors to Amazon’s success in Australia. These drivers use their vehicles and deliver goods to customers who order them on the Amazon app or website.

This is a revolutionary program that can be applied by anyone who has an appropriate vehicle, so it adds an extra dimension of flexibility for people who might want to work outside traditional office hours or want to boost their income by working when they choose.