NYC Is Giving Free E-Bikes To Delivery Workers Using Unsafe Models (electrek.co) 38
New York City's Department of Transportation is offering delivery workers the opportunity to swap out uncertified e-bikes for safer UL-compliant models. "Millions of people rely on such workers for timely deliveries, yet the low wages and brutal conditions of the job have forced many riders to seek out low-cost electric bicycles to perform the work -- exactly the kind of e-bikes that are least likely to have received safety certifications," reports Electrek. From the report: The NYC DOT has already begun accepting applications for the new E-Bike Trade-In Program, which is open to delivery workers with non-compliant electric bicycles as well as the often-seen electric scooters/mopeds that don't really qualify as e-bikes, despite their ubiquitous use in the industry. Interestingly, the program even accepts gasoline-powered mopeds that are not able to be legally registered with the DMV, including those that lack VINs. In exchange for trading in a non-certified vehicle, the delivery worker will receive a new UL-certified electric bike with a spare UL-certified battery.
There are a few requirements for eligibility. The worker has to have earned at least US $1,500 by working in the food delivery industry last year in 2024, live in one of the five New York City boroughs, be at least 18 years old, and own/use one of the eligible devices for trade-in. The program is free to participate in with no additional cost for the delivery workers. However, the supply of free electric bicycles is described as "limited." Those interested need to submit an application before the window closes on March 10, 2025.
There are a few requirements for eligibility. The worker has to have earned at least US $1,500 by working in the food delivery industry last year in 2024, live in one of the five New York City boroughs, be at least 18 years old, and own/use one of the eligible devices for trade-in. The program is free to participate in with no additional cost for the delivery workers. However, the supply of free electric bicycles is described as "limited." Those interested need to submit an application before the window closes on March 10, 2025.
and NYC can get sued if any thing bad happens? (Score:2)
and NYC can get sued if any thing bad happens?
Re: and NYC can get sued if any thing bad happens? (Score:2)
Why would that be? That's a dumb take
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Anyone can sue anyone for anything.
Hmm, no ID requirement? (Score:3, Interesting)
That's one way to create a market for stolen e-bikes:
"Hey didn't I see you here already"?!
-No that was my cousin I swear.
Wonder what the mean-time before they show up on eBay or Facebook marketplace
The other part of it is that 90% of these "delivery" (grubhub, seemless, doordash, etc) drivers are illegal immigrants since these apps don't ask for a work permit. Therefore they have every incentive to "trade-in" a bike and turn around and sell it.
The real victim, of course, is the NYC taxpayer who 1) has to put up with these maniacs doing 30mph in a bicycle lane and 2) whose hard-earned money is going to facilitate a criminal enterprise.
You get what you vote for, though.
You get what you vote for, though. (Score:2, Offtopic)
New York didn't vote for Trump
Re:Hmm, no ID requirement? (Score:5, Insightful)
> Hmm, no ID requirement?
I know reading isn't a popular thing on this site, but most people at least manage to get through the summary...
Do you suppose demonstrating that you earned $1,500 in 2024, that you are a resident of NYC, and that you are 18 or older, might involve providing ID at some point?
=Smidge=
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No. This requirement has the appearance of confirming eligibility but it's quite deceptive.
Anyone can come up with Venmo receipts totaling $1500 in the course of a year.
They'll accept a letter from a roommate stating that you lived there for however many months you need to be a "NYC Resident", etc, etc.
This is purposefully designed to make it easy for the type of people who are doordash drivers to get access to the program.
Again, just wait until these trade-in bikes are on ebay.
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> Anyone can come up with Venmo receipts totaling $1500 in the course of a year.
https://ebike-trade.nyc.gov/ [nyc.gov] Has a FAQ.
Proof of Employment and Earnings
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The objective is getting shitty vehicles off the road. If a stolen, shitty scooter is replaced with a quality scooter, that's a net gain to society.
You do have a valid point: Such a scheme can incite crime. The government should perform basic tracking, such as recording the model/serial of the vehicle handed-in. Demanding Id. would reduce trade-ins, particularly in Trump's (racist) USA.
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>"Demanding ID would reduce trade-ins, particularly in Trump's (racist) USA."
Sorry, but that narrative is so worn out. Being anti-illegal-immigration is not racism. But keep trying, you might convince yourself, just not the majority of Americans (of all races, by the way).
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I never said anything about immigration: It's interesting, that's what you see. The USA has been quietly racist for a long time. Obviously, I think Trump is having a specific effect on systemic behaviour and entrenched thinking.
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>"I never said anything about immigration:"
Then exactly how is "Trump's (racist) USA", in your words, by the idea of New York requiring an ID in order to trade-in a cycle to help prevent fraud/crime?
>"It's interesting, that's what you see."
It is a pretty logical assumption that is exactly what you meant, especially considering your signature.
>"Obviously, I think Trump is having a specific effect on systemic behaviour and entrenched thinking."
And which "systemic behavior and entrenched thinking" is
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If I was a NYC resident, I'd be looking up which politician started this stupid tax wasting idea. There zero reason any level of government should be running a trade in program for these things.
Also, since you can just steal someone's shit then do this program, it will most certainly have its victims though since it's such a tiny amount of money, won't be investigated or prosecuted anyway.
I'd be a very unhappy taxpayer if I lived there.
Still, I think the people of NYC must like high taxes or they wouldn't v
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Yes. It's the same thing. Instead of a trade in program, you pass a depreciation law of sorts. California effectively has this with smog checks. Eventually, your car will not pass the smog check and bye bye old car.
There's pluses and minuses to this approach but it does tend to keep poorly maintained vehicles off the road.
They should increase the safety standards for the scooters instead. Ban these old, cheaply made models and put a registration program for the scoots.
That's a heavy handed approach but it's
Not everything has to be suspect or cynical (Score:5, Interesting)
The world has been enshittified.
Technology has done the deed.
People are dumber and poorer because of it.
If you are reading Slashdot, you get an extra or concentrated dose of noir reporting, because it is a tech site, but even many regular folk reading whatever media or just living life are starting to appreciate it.
As such, responses and replies to these Slashdot postings seem to be following suit, getting ever more cynical, pessimistic, bleak, distrustful - and appropriately so, just honest analytical views of reality.
But, cynicism and negativity can become their own disease. Once you distrust 10%, then 20%, then 40%, and so on of what you read, sooner or later you are conditioned to think everything is 100% dark and bogus.
But, it's not, and this article is an example.
The referenced report ( https://electrek.co/2025/02/12... [electrek.co] ) does not explain why NYC is offering this deal, but reasons can be inferred. The two obvious issues would likely be traffic accidents with rider trauma, and battery accidents.
E-bike accidents have become a major trauma cause for people visiting urban emergency rooms. My hospital, my surgical staff, all hospitals have seen a profound upsurge in this trauma. Driver-rider errors underlie many of the accidents, but bike failures happen too. As for battery explosions, they cause secondary accidents and trauma, plus burns, plus fatalities.
See this link from same source as above: :
https://electrek.co/2023/11/17... [electrek.co]
and this one from NYC itself
https://www.nyc.gov/assets/ddc... [nyc.gov]
Swapping out unsafe for safer vehicles makes sense. Since the details are not reported, we can only surmise what criteria are behind this, but since the article emphasizes "a new UL-certified electric bike with a spare UL-certified battery", battery issues are likely a major incentive.
In the big picture, the money spent is not much, especially if the bikes cost only about $1000 (see the second article above). Factor in the city's costs (first responders and cleanup) for each accident, medical costs (especially on burns), lost wages for injured workers, and insurance and legal costs - for each incident - then the swap cost to replace all uncertified bikes would be peanuts.
All of the negative comments to this posting seem unavoidable in our current enshittified state of society, but this report is of a good thing. And, if you or someone you know personally had a minor accident or injury due to such bikes, you can be thankful is wasn't worse because an unrated battery didn't blow them up.
Before someone feels compelled to make a cynical or snarky remark, remember this scene from Futurama: :
Episode "Godfellas" 17 March, 2002
Bender is lost in the far reaches of space, when a spore lands on him, from whence life and evolution play out, culminating in a self-destructive society that worships him as god. The middle part of the episode has many scenes with Bender talking to those micro-people, and then when they blow themselves up, he has a conversation with real god
Bender: So, do you know what I'm gonna do before I do it?
"God": Yes.
Bender: What if I do something different?
"God": Then I don't know that.
Bender: Cool! Cool! I bet a lot of people pray to you, huh?
"God": Yes. But there are so many asking so much. After a while, you just sorta tune it out.
Bender: Y'know, I was God once.
"God": Yes, I saw. You were doing well until everyone died.
Bender: It was awful. I tried helping them, I tried not helping them but in the end I couldn't do them any good. Do you think what I did was wrong?
"God": Right and wrong are just words. What matters is what
Re:Not everything has to be suspect or cynical (Score:4, Interesting)
Generally I agree with your answer - but ...
Having seen one of my product's customers struggle through an UL certification process, I can safely tell you that UL made me more cynical about this world. They clearly abuse the power they have been given as the gateway to the US market for sinister profit maximizing.
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That has always been the value and fun of these forums - learning about things you hadn't thought of from people with some interesting real world experience. I'd love to hear more about it.
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Funny I have the opposite experience having witnessed a relatively pain-free and simple UL certification process. The ones who typically have the most problems are those who produce products that either fail to meet or are borderline failing to meet the requirements.
Don't be cynical. This is a good thing. UL shouldn't be a rubber stamp, if it were then it would defeat the whole purpose.
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That said, slight correction from my point of view on causes of enshittification:
The world has been enshittified.
People motivated by greed using technology have done the deed.
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The world has been enshittified. Technology has done the deed.
I'm assuming you specifically mean electronics and information technology. These particular technologies are just the tools de jure. People giving into their base desires (especially greed) have always been the origin of making the world a worse place for everyone. Feudalism was both helpful to the common man and horrifyingly bad for the common man. The problem has always been who is in the position of power. Unfortunately, we have still not identified a sound method for selecting who to place in positions
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Nice comments - thanks.
Wait, what? (Score:2)
So the swap is using unsafe models? Or the delivery workers are before that swap?
Ah, I see. They are making people safer. I also see the art of headlines is in decline.
Unsafe for who? (Score:2)
Forbidding delivery drivers from using ebikes would make the streets safer for us.
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But it ain't gonna happen because populism.
Need for speed (Score:2)
Part of the reason why delivery drivers use unlicensed models is that you can illegally mod them and bump up top speed. Delivery pay rates are all about speed of delivery and therefore incentivise drivers to use dangerous but faster models instead.
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Citations please.
There is no way that anyone could generate evidence supporting this claim, there isn't even any reason to believe "illegal mods" would be of benefit, nor any reason to believe delivery people would spend even a moment thinking of it. E-bikes are a great way to reduce effort and increase range for bicycle delivery, it is the bicycle itself that makes deliveries faster in dense urban areas.
No, this comment just tells us about your prejudices.
Re: Need for speed (Score:2)
Guess what. We're not on X. You want a citation? Go find one yourself. Or just look at what's happening on the streets around you.
Re: Need for speed (Score:2)
In fact, if you're looking for evidence just google "illegal ebikes police seizure uk". UK police keeps seizing hundreds of units every day. Bikes modified with special kits to make them run faster than cars, at 20-30mph. On pavements, among people.
So yes, there's plenty of evidence. Like I said, you just need to look around, instead of being stuck in your own little, scientific, "everything must be proven" world.
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Yes - if you're on the road. Not on the pavement.
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No, this comment just tells us about your prejudices.
Yours tells me that you're just a sheltered, entitled asshole, with no fucking clue and a hell of a lot of denial on top. Which is consistent with every other post you've made.
As for the subject matter, they do that all the time here in California, and I'd wager New York is no different. Though it's not necessarily modding so much as the manufacturer specs the bike out in such a way that it's easy to tune it to go well beyond the legal speed limits of e-bikes. I should know, I own such a bike, namely a wire
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Which is why the delivery drivers probably don't want the slower government issued e-bikes. Knowing NYC, they probably made it more difficult add performance modifications to them as well