Delivery drivers really are our knights in shining armor–they brave the elements (whether it’s 100 degrees or -10 degrees outside) to deliver us food when we’re unable to make it outside ourselves, and NYC will soon be showing them the appreciation they deserve.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer announced yesterday (10/3) a first-of-its-kind hub program that will provide a place to rest and recharge to NYC’s 65,000 delivery workers.
A $1 million federal grant will use existing infrastructure, such as vacant city newsstands, to create these hubs which will create a place for delivery workers to seek shelter from the elements and charge both their e-bikes and cell phones. A portion of the grant will also be used to help renovate a worker center in Williamsburg for deliveristas.
This pilot program will renovate and transform underutilized structures on city properties, ensuring that New York City’s public spaces serve all.
“Deliveristas are out there doing the hard work, day in and day out, and are essential to New Yorkers’ way of life and to our city’s economy, and essential workers deserve essential services,” said Mayor Adams. “While most people have a break room to rest while at work, app-based food delivery workers do not. By investing in existing, underused spaces, like vacant newsstands, this program will ensure our public spaces serve all and ‘Get Stuff Done’ for some of our hardest working New Yorkers.”
The Street Deliveristas Hub pilot program will be the first-of-its-kind in the nation for app-based food delivery workers. These hubs will be designed in high-traffic neighborhoods with input from both delivery workers and communities to design spaces that are most beneficial to delivery workers and neighborhood residents alike. They will also help keep streets and sidewalks clear for pedestrians.
According to city parks department commissioner Sue Donoghue the plan still needs to be approved by the city’s Franchise and Concession Review Committee, and she expects construction to begin in a few months.