| Photo by Kevin Grieve on Unsplash
NEW YORK — New York City has rolled out proposed rules to hold delivery app companies accountable for street safety and worker protections — a significant shift in how platforms like Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Grubhub operate across the five boroughs.
The key features of the new rules include:
- Delivery apps must register with the Department of Transportation (DOT).
- Each delivery worker must be assigned a unique identification number and wear it visibly on reflective gear.
- Companies must provide helmets, reflective vests, and safety training.
- Apps must report the types of vehicles (e-bikes, mopeds, scooters) used by workers.
- E-bikes and scooters are capped at 15 mph to reduce accidents.
- Mopeds are prohibited for commercial delivery use.
To enforce the city’s proposed safety rules for delivery app companies, a new agency called the Department of Sustainable Delivery (DSD) will be created, which will be housed within the NYC Department of Transportation (DOT). It is designed to regulate delivery platforms like Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Grubhub, and oversee worker safety training, distribution of safety gear (helmets, reflective vests), enforcement of speed limits and bans on mopeds, tracking of delivery devices (e-bikes, scooters), and issuance of unique worker IDs for visibility and accountability.
According to the Adams administration, the new agency will have enforcement powers, including the ability to fine companies up to $1,000 for repeated violations, revoke licenses of apps that push unsafe delivery timelines, and deploy peace officers to monitor compliance and street safety.
“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.”
Advocates warn that the DSD could criminalize immigrant workers and increase surveillance. Groups like Los Deliveristas Unidos call for infrastructure investments (bike lanes, charging hubs), protection from unfair deactivations, and an end to NYPD-ICE collaboration.
Mayor Adams’ proposed rules for delivery app accountability were not submitted to the NYC City Council for approval. Instead, the administration is advancing them through executive rulemaking via the Department of Transportation (DOT).
A draft bill was circulated to the Council earlier this year, but it stalled and was not taken up for a vote.
In the absence of legislation to address these public safety concerns, First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro is still urging the Council to pass comprehensive legislation to help “safeguard the lives of delivery workers and everyday New Yorkers endangered by unsafe delivery conditions.
“It’s time to hold the big delivery apps accountable and protect all New Yorkers,” said DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodríguez. “And we’ll be doing so through these new rules and enforcement powers through the new Department of Sustainable Delivery at DOT.”
Uber criticized the ID requirement, saying it could expose workers to police and immigration scrutiny.
DOT is publishing the rules in the City Record, making them enforceable without Council approval. A public hearing is scheduled for September 2, 2025, where stakeholders can weigh in.
The city is hiring 45 peace officers to help enforce the new rules on the ground.
