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GrubHub partners with e-bike company to open new rest stop for delivery workers in Soho
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Published Jun 16, 2023
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Ramsey Kalifeh / Gothamist
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Published Jun 16, 2023
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A new rest stop where delivery workers can rest and charge electric bikes opened Thursday in SoHo, through a partnership between GrubHub and JOCO, a company that makes rentable e-bikes.
The rest stop is part of a larger partnership between the two companies: Deliveristas with GrubHub who rent JOCO bikes will be given access to 55 JOCO bike charging stations across the city and to this GrubHub-sponsored space in Soho.
The Soho rest stop includes restrooms, phone charging stations, hot and cold water fountains, and lounge chairs.
A spokesperson for GrubHub said the aim is to improve working conditions for delivery workers.
“It started out of necessity,” said Amy Healy, the VP of Government Affairs of GrubHub. “There needs to be safe places for the delivery workers to recharge their batteries in a safe way and use clean bathrooms.”
Healy said she observed that the city had made slow progress in developing three public hubs for workers after announcing a pilot program in October to address this issue. She’d also observed “not-in-my-backyard” pushback to proposed locations.
On Friday afternoon, the Soho rest stop on Bowery Street was buzzing with delivery workers, many of whom said they were recharging their e-bike batteries and themselves.
Ibrahim Hrmagou, a driver from Togo who stopped in to pick up a free delivery bag, said the new hub made his job easier.
“Some restaurants, they really don’t allow us to use the bathroom,” he said.
Other drivers at the Soho rest stop echoed the sentiment.
“It makes me get a lot of things done easier,” said Johnathan Ramirez, a delivery driver from Manhattan. “I’m able to switch out batteries, stay out longer, make more money.”
Lithium-ion batteries, which are used to power e-bikes – and occasionally explode – have also been a topic of concern for New Yorkers.
In April, two people were killed in a fire that the FDNY said started after the battery for an e-bike exploded. Last year, there were over 200 fires caused by lithium-ion batteries, and six people died in those fires, according to data from the city.
The new rest stop in Soho features four new fireproof machines that both hold and charge batteries for delivery drivers to switch out. If one explodes, the machines are designed to contain the fire, according to Guman Gezicia, who said he is involved in the machine’s development for JOCO.
“Each cell can contain the fire inside,” he said. “We have censors, we have fire extinguishers inside built in the cabinet if anything goes wrong.”
Tagged
food delivery apps
e-bike
Ramsey Khalifeh
Ramsey Khalifeh is a transportation reporter on the NYC Accountability desk covering the largest transit system in the country. He was previously a general assignment reporter at Gothamist and worked on the Boston Globe's metro and copy desk. 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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