Advertisement
Tech

‘Grubhub and Seamless be paying’: NYC’s e-bike swap for delivery drivers criticized as app subsidy

The program also comes at a time when tensions over immigrant workers are high.

Photo of Roy Canivel

Roy Canivel

The NYC DOT logo over a photo of bike couriers and dollar signs.
(Licensed)

A program by New York City that set aside $2 million to give delivery riders free e-bikes if they trade in unlicensed models is facing criticism from all sides.

Featured Video

Announced in July, the initiative is officially taking applications this week. But not everyone is happy with the city footing the bill, being dubbed both a handout to illegal immigrants and a subsidy for lucrative gig economy companies like DoorDash and UberEats. 

The Adams administration will hand out over 400 new certified e-bikes and spare batteries this year, according to a recent press release, to help reduce fire and crash risk. 

“Currently, many delivery workers use uncertified e-bikes and heavier electric and gas-powered mopeds,” the announcement read. “Our e-bike trade-in program is a win-win for delivery workers and safer communities.”

Advertisement

A spate of e-bike fires hit the city in recent years. Lithium-ion batteries, used in e-bikes, have started 733 fires since 2019, killing 29 New Yorkers and injuring 442 more, according to a NYC press release.

In announcing the program in early July, Adams said the program would help save lives. 

“Too often, those bikes are powered by unsafe, uncertified batteries that at any minute could combust,” Adams said. “That is why we are doing everything in our power to put a stop to these deadly fires and make use of safe lithium-ion batteries more affordable.” 

So while essentially a safety issue, the trade-ins will also benefit immigrant workers at a time when President Donald Trump is cracking down on undocumented individuals.

Advertisement

There are over 65,000 delivery workers in New York City, many of whom are immigrants, according to city estimates. 

While it is not clear how many of them are undocumented, an estimate from the Center for Migration Studies pegs the number to at least 5,000.

As such, the announcement of the program received immediate backlash, given it requires only proof of residency and not citizenship.

“So you’re using taxpayer money to give illegals free bikes?” one user said. 

Advertisement

“how much taxpayer dollars are you wasting buying ebikes for illegals who are making money off the books?” asked another. 

However, the program, while getting pushback from the anti-immigrant right, also got flak from the progressive left, deeming it a handout to big delivery apps, who benefit from drivers often without accepting the costs and risks entailed. 

“I get the desire for harm reduction here but this is a subsidy to the delivery companies. They are the ones who should be responsible for their workers using safe equipment and the ones who should bear the costs if they don’t,” one user said. 

Advertisement

“So NYC taxpayers are getting this stuck up their ass too? Who authorized this? … Why arent the delivery service apps paying for this?” another asked, tagging the official X account of Ydanis Rodriguez, commissioner at NYC’s Department of Transportation.  

“This is not your job. Food delivery apps like Grubhub and Seamless should be paying,” replied another. “It seems you are all ok with them maximizing their profits….” 


Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.

Advertisement

 
The Daily Dot