DoorDash announced on Tuesday, July 9, that it is cracking down on dangerous delivery drivers and will kick them off its platform. The announcement comes after Boston city officials wrote a letter to the company that cited dangerous behavior from its delivery drivers.
City officials cited instances of DoorDash drivers, or “Dashers,” running red lights, driving on sidewalks, going the wrong way down a one-way street, and other illegal activity.
The new initiative will begin in Boston but may extend to other cities in the future. DoorDash also said it will update its vehicle registration requirements to ensure safer driving habits.
Boston and New York City officials said that in many cases, Dashers are using unregistered vehicles and sharing accounts, which leads to unsafe and unauthorized drivers.
New York authorities have seized 13,000 scooters and mopeds that were unregistered or used to break laws so far this year.
DoorDash will now require drivers to more frequently submit real-time selfies to prove their identities while out for delivery, particularly, when it discovers signs of account sharing. If Dashers are found in violation and fail to confirm their identities, they will be terminated.
However, critics have noted that DoorDash’s algorithm, as well as those of other delivery apps, docks employees for tardiness and rewards them for delivery speed, which may be partly to blame for unsafe driving habits.
“This downward pressure is why you might see delivery workers speeding or going the wrong way down a street on their bike,” John Oliver, the host of “Last Week Tonight,” said in an episode highlighting delivery apps. “The clear incentive is to make as many orders as you can as quickly as you can, even if that means compromising safety.”
DoorDash’s announcement also comes after another incident on June 30. Authorities in Utah said that a Dasher who was using other people’s accounts defecated in a woman’s drink.
After review of security tape, police confirmed the customer’s suspicions.
The Dasher was arrested after being pulled over for a traffic violation while out for another delivery. An affidavit shows the suspect did not have a local ID, only an employment authorization document.
In another incident in 2021 in Southern California, a Dasher was caught on camera using an apartment complex lobby as a toilet.
DoorDash said in statement that the driver was no longer able to deliver for the company. It did not disclose the results of the “private investigation.”
