NY Forms Department to Regulate E-Bikes

In announcing the department, Mayor Adams said, “Our streets — and how they’re used — have changed, and we’re changing with them. The Department of Sustainable Delivery will be a first-in-the-nation way to let us retake the reins of our streets and ensure that the next generation of mobility innovation works for our workers, our neighbours and our city as we continue to deliver on our vision to protect public safety, rebuild our economy, and make this city more liveable for working-class New Yorkers.”

Of course, the delivery companies are fighting the bill. Uber’s senior policy manager, Hayley Prim, said that the effort should be placed on ebike sellers, rather than requiring the apps to supply reliable e-bikes. In testimony Prim said, “We encourage the Council to table these bills.”

DoorDash suggested that such a bill could cause the apps to terminate delivery by e-bike. Such bluster is impractical in a city where e-bikes can often outpace cars over short distances.

Conditions continue to improve for delivery workers. In December, the state court ruled that delivery workers must be paid a minimum of $17.96 per hour by delivery app companies.