NYC Mayor Adams announces new safety rules for app delivery companies

New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez announced new proposed rules to make New York City streets safer for cyclists and pedestrians by holding delivery app companies accountable as part of the agency’s forthcoming Department of Sustainable Delivery. The Adams administration is creating the Department of Sustainable Delivery via rulemaking in the absence of New York City Council legislation addressing these companies’ unsafe delivery practices, the mayor’s office said. These rules will require delivery app companies to register with DOT, assign their delivery workers unique identification numbers and identification cards for enforcement purposes, and provide workers with safety training and equipment. “Our administration is committed to creating safer, more sustainable streets for everyone from delivery workers to pedestrians to cyclists to drivers,” said Mayor Adams. “These proposed rules are a major step forward in holding delivery app companies accountable and ensuring delivery workers have the equipment, protections, and visibility they need to stay safe. This is a public-safety issue and a quality-of-life issue that affects all of us, and today, we are finally taking the steps to address both.” The proposed rules, to be published in the City Record, implement a framework for accountability on the part of delivery app companies by requiring them to provide safety training and equipment to delivery workers, and assign them unique identification numbers, which would be mandated to be displayed on vests or other reflective garments provided to workers. App companies would also be required to provide information to the city regarding the types of devices their delivery workers use while performing their jobs, enabling DOT to assess the safety of those devices. Delivery app companies that do not comply will face penalties. App companies often require delivery workers to meet aggressive delivery times that are incompatible with following traffic laws. The unique identifiers will allow DOT to track that unsafe behavior back to the delivery apps that are incentivizing it. Companies in the space include DoorDash (DASH), Uber (UBER), and Just Eat Takeaway.com (JTKWY).