NYC Council Moves to Ban Grocery Apps’ 15-Minute Delivery Guarantees
New York City Councilman Christopher Marte will introduce a bill that would ban on-demand grocery apps from advertising that they will deliver in 15 minutes, saying such a practice threatens worker and pedestrian safety, according to a report in The New York Post Monday (Feb. 21).
Gorillas, Getir, Fridge No More and Jokr have all recently come into New York City boasting 15-minute delivery times and massive discounts on groceries and toiletries, the report said. Marte told the Post the 15-minute guarantees encourage delivery workers on eBikes and scooters to break traffic laws.
Marte’s bill is likely to be introduced in the next few weeks as part of a package that will also include other legislation focused on on-demand grocery apps.
“We don’t think (a 15-minute delivery promise) should be legal,” Marte said. “We’re going to have a number of pieces of legislation to bring a lot more oversight and accountability.”
Marte’s bill comes after several reports of accidents and fatalities linked to e-bikes, which were connected to at least 20 deaths in 2020. Giving workers more time to make deliveries will save the lives of delivery workers and pedestrians by putting eBike riders under less pressure, he said.
Marte is also crafting legislation related to increased worker protections and better health benefits.
Related: NYC Aggregators Contend With New Regulations, Increased Competition From Direct Channels
New York City has passed several laws in the past year-plus to create a standard for regulating the grocery delivery industry, while aggregators are also increasingly in competition with the very restaurants on their marketplaces.
In January, New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) Commissioner Peter A. Hatch announced that delivery services now must be licensed by the DCWP.
The law also requires these services to give drivers greater transparency about customers’ tips, limits the fees that third parties can charge restaurants, mandates restaurants’ permission before a marketplace shows its listing and requires phone number listings include the restaurant’s direct line.