Photo: robinson-greig-unsplash

Boston warns delivery firms about unsafe drivers

11 June 2024

by Christopher Carey

The City of Boston is calling on delivery firms to rein in drivers who flout the rules of the road and engage in dangerous practices.

In a letter co-authored by Boston’s Police Commissioner Michael Cox and its Chief of Streets Jascha Franklin-Hodge, the city has asked senior figures from three firms – DoorDash’s CEO Tony Xu, GrubHub’s CEO Howard Midgal and Uber’s senior vice president of delivery Pierre-Dimitri Gore-Coty – to explain what steps the companies are taking to mitigate these issues.

“Many of these drivers are operating unregistered vehicles [and] we have witnessed widespread and ongoing incidents of running red lights, driving on city sidewalks, driving the wrong way down one-way streets, driving at speeds in excess of posted limits, and collisions,” the letter states.

“This type of operation puts the delivery driver, and any pedestrian or driver of a motor vehicle who encounters them, in imminent danger.”

In a statement, a DoorDash spokesperson said: “We’re always working to help ensure that streets remain vibrant and active in the communities we serve. The overwhelming majority of Dashers do the right thing and like all drivers must follow the rules of the road. If they don’t, then they face consequences – just like anyone else.

“We’ve been working closely with Boston city officials, advocates and other community stakeholders on these issues — including sending regular reminders of local regulations to Dashers picking up in the busiest areas of the Back Bay — and are eager to help find solutions so everyone in Boston can continue to safely share the city’s streets.”

A GrubHub spokesperson said: “We welcome the opportunity to continue our work with the City of Boston and its Police Department to improve the delivery experience for restaurants, delivery partners and diners.

“To deliver with Grubhub, our delivery partners agree to obey all local traffic laws. While enforcement of the law is best handled by the police, we take safety seriously, which is why we clearly communicate our expectations to drivers and take action to address unsafe driving.”

Uber did not respond to a request for comment.

Questions

App-based food delivery services have risen sharply in the US since the pandemic.

In their letter, Cox and Franklin-Hodge said the city had distributed information on local and state traffic laws to delivery drivers and restaurants who use their services, adding that the police would increase traffic enforcement “to address unlawful and unsafe behaviour connected to delivery services,” including for drivers operating mopeds and motorbikes without a licence, driving without a licence plate, and driving on pavements.

The letter, dated 3 June, set a deadline of 7 June for a written response from the companies and posed six questions:

  • How does your company verify that drivers are licenced, utilising a properly registered vehicle(s), and do not have a history of unsafe driving?
  • Regarding motorcycle, moped, and motorized scooter usage, what safety and regulatory training, safety testing and/or safety equipment do new and existing workers receive? Please prove Boston- and/or Massachusetts-specific training materials.
  • How does your company track reported safety violations and what steps do you take to address driver behaviour when safety issues are identified?
  • How do you prevent account sharing by drivers or vehicle substitution that could result in unapproved drivers or vehicles being used?
  • What other steps, if any, are you taking to ensure safe vehicle operations by your drivers?
  • What data is available to help us understand your operations, volume of deliveries at locations throughout the city and the types of delivery vehicles used?

A spokesperson from the City of Boston did not comment on whether it had received replies from the companies but an industry source told Cities Today that more time has since been allocated for responses.

Image: robinson-greig-unsplash

https://cities-today.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/freightvert.jpg

How transport leaders are tackling the challenges of urban freight