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Delivery workers can safely charge e-bikes, get some rest at NYC's new Deliverista Hub
By
Stephen Nessen
Published Apr 7, 2026
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Stephen Nessen / Gothamist
By
Stephen Nessen
Published Apr 7, 2026
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An unused newspaper kiosk outside of City Hall has been converted into a hub for e-bike delivery workers to swap and charge batteries.
The kiosk is now referred to as the City Hall Park Deliverista Hub and was funded with a $1 million federal grant, which paid for converting the 1980s-era newsstand into a sleek modern structure.
”You couldn't spend the million dollars any better way in Washington,” said Sen. Chuck Schumer, who helped cut the ribbon Tuesday. “And they're spending it in a lot of lousy ways right now.”
The hub was built despite the local Community Board's concerns that the design didn’t fit in with the surrounding landmarked buildings.
It has an outdoor cabinet that can safely charge 48 e-bike batteries. There’s also a space inside, about the size of two large bus shelters, for workers to rest, get free tune-ups and get free legal advice on topics like wages or what to do after accidents.
“ What we want to build is a blueprint that can be replicated across the city,” said Ligia Guallpa, the executive director of the Workers’ Justice Project, which helped create the kiosk. “One of the unique things about [the] Deliverista Hub [is] it was designed by workers, based on their needs, based on their necessities.”
Her group estimates there are 80,000 e-bike workers in the city.
The kiosk is also a step toward helping prevent lithium-ion battery fires.
Low-quality or knock-off batteries have been responsible for hundreds of fires, some of them fatal. Last year saw the highest number of fires caused by lithium-ion batteries in the past four years, at 296. That’s up from 279 in 2024, according to the FDNY. So far this year, there have been 82 fires.
Last year, then-Mayor Eric Adams pledged to install dozens of similar charging cabinets where workers could charge and swap out batteries safely around the city. The first ones are expected to open next year.
Aboubacar Ki, 36, from the Bronx, has been delivering food for Grubhub and Uber Eats in the city since 2019, and said he hopes more kiosks like this will be built across the city.
Ki said if delivery workers could reliably swap out batteries during their shifts, “we can go fast and we can go farther.”
“We’re hoping to have more [kiosks] like this in the five boroughs, bigger than this one,” he said.
The City Hall hub isn’t open just yet.
The kiosk doesn’t have power yet, but organizers hope to resolve the issue in the next two weeks. Once the power issue is resolved, it will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.
Tagged
new york city
transportation
Stephen Nessen
Stephen Nessen covers transportation. Since 2008 he has reported on everything from Occupy Wall Street, the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site, Hurricane Sandy, to Trump’s campaign for president. His transportation reporting has taken him everywhere from the MTA’s secret Rail Control Center to the gleaming subways of Seoul. Got a tip? Email [email protected].
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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