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Delivery workers say app algorithms create incentives to deliver faster without
regard for traffic rules. Photograph: Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images
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Delivery workers say app algorithms create incentives to deliver faster without
regard for traffic rules. Photograph: Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images
America's dirty divideNew York



NEW YORK CITY COURIERS WARY OF MAYOR’S SUGGESTED SUSTAINABLE DELIVERY AGENCY

Delivery workers and advocates say it could lead to over-policing of already
taxed employees, but agree firms should be regulated



Supported by

About this content
Aliya Uteuova
Thu 1 Feb 2024 12.00 ESTLast modified on Thu 1 Feb 2024 12.40 EST
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A proposed agency to regulate new forms of ebikes and mopeds commonly used by
delivery drivers could lead to increased surveillance and harassment of
couriers, according to labor and transit advocates.

Last week, Eric Adams, the mayor of New York City, announced plans for a
first-in-the-nation department of sustainable delivery that would aim to
regulate the tens of thousands of ebikes, mopeds, cargo bikes and other two- and
three-wheeled vehicles that deliver food and parcels across the city.


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These forms of micromobility play an important role in addressing the climate
crisis, as they release fewer emissions than their car counterparts. But the
wide adoption of these vehicles by the e-commerce delivery industry has brought
safety concerns: between 2020 and 2022, an estimated 33 delivery workers died on
the job in New York, making it one of the deadliest jobs in the city. Ebikes,
popular with couriers, carry their own risks: in 2023, about 17 people died from
fires caused by illegal or faulty lithium-ion batteries.



“We deeply care about street safety because it is us who are dying and getting
injured,” said Gustavo Ajche, 40, a delivery worker and activist. “But more
regulations on delivery workers will lead to more policing and criminalization
of essential workers.”

Ajche, founder of Los Deliveristas Unidos, which advocates for higher wages and
protections for the largely immigrant workforce, said he worried the proposed
department would target the wrong actors: “Deliveristas are not the problem,” he
said. “Regulation is needed on the corporations that continue to penalize
workers for respecting the traffic signals.”

Delivery workers say app algorithms create incentives to deliver faster without
regard for traffic rules.

Some 65,000 couriers deliver goods for apps like DoorDash, Grubhub and Uber
Eats. Around 56% of them rely on ebikes and other non-car modes of
transportation.

“New Yorkers welcome the future of transit and new electronic technologies – but
we cannot have mopeds speeding down our sidewalks and forcing people to jump out
of the way,” Adams said during his State of the City address last week. Ebikes,
mopeds and e-scooters have been involved in about 2% of pedestrian fatalities in
the city since 2021, according to department of transportation figures, with 98%
of fatalities involved motor vehicles.



“If the city wants to regulate and create more safety, the focus should be about
creating more infrastructure for delivery workers,” said Antonio Martinez Solis,
37, a delivery worker and member of Los Deliveristas Unidos. Delivery workers
have demanded rest and charging stops along with safer biking infrastructure.

The mayor’s office is currently in talks with the city council about the
proposed department, Meera Joshi, the deputy mayor of operations, said.

“It’s an industry where workers are really incentivized to move quickly and
that’s often in direct conflict with road safety and is in direct conflict with
their wellbeing,” said Joshi. “We’re keenly conscious that this has to be done
at a corporate level and the full burden of safety cannot fall on workers.”

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‘They’re playing dirty’: inside delivery apps’ pushback against tips after New
York raises wage
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A spokesperson for DoorDash said the company is “committed to helping ensure
that streets remain safe, vibrant and active in New York City” and that all
delivery workers are required to follow local vehicle regulations. A
representative from Grubhub said that “delivery partners have agreed to comply
with all state and local laws while performing delivery services with Grubhub,
but if they feel they cannot safely complete a delivery, they can always decline
an offer without penalty.” Uber Eats did not immediately respond to requests for
comment.

Danny Harris, executive director of the advocacy group Transportation
Alternatives, said in a best-case scenario, the city agency could help enforce
standards for equipment and batteries and provide training and worker
protections. “We have to ensure protections for the most vulnerable,” he said.
“Whether you’re walking with a stroller or you have a cane or a walker or on a
wheelchair.”

Like Ajche, he put the onus on delivery apps to improve safety: “You shouldn’t
have apps that promise to deliver in 15 minutes, that’s just reckless and it
puts everybody in danger.”

Jessie Singer, journalist and author of the book There Are No Accidents, echoed
Ajche’s concerns about the department leading to over-policing. “It remains to
be seen if the proposed department of sustainable delivery will be another tool
to police and harass delivery workers,” she said. “Or be what New York City
really needs – an aggressive regulator for delivery app companies that profit
off putting delivery workers at risk and making chaos on our streets.”

Adams’ announcement comes just months after a win for the city’s delivery
workers over minimum wage. Last September, the Manhattan supreme court ruled
that Uber, Grubhub and DoorDash have to pay delivery workers at least $17.96 an
hour.

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