NYC DOT Reminds Delivery App Companies of Responsibilities to Protect Workers and Public Safety, Launches New Safety Training for Delivery Workers

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IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 8, 2026
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NYC DOT Reminds Delivery App Companies of Responsibilities to Protect Workers and Public Safety, Launches New Safety Training for Delivery Workers

App companies are legally required to provide safety equipment and monitor completion of new safety training

The mandatory training launched by NYC DOT educates delivery workers on bicycle safety, workers' rights, battery charging safety, and traffic laws

NYC DOT's "Do You Deliver?" bike and e-bike delivery training is available on the NYC DOT website

NEW YORK - New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Commissioner Mike Flynn today announced new measures the agency is taking to hold delivery app companies accountable for the worker, traffic, and fire safety impacts of their business model. With roughly 400,000 bike deliveries made every day across the city, the agency sent a letter to the app companies reminding them of their responsibility to provide workers with safety equipment, including helmets and high-visibility vests, and asking them to engage collaboratively with NYC DOT in raising worker awareness of a new safety training launched today.

The training is called "Do You Deliver?" and is required for all bicycle and e-bike delivery workers to learn about the rules of the road, workers' rights, and safe riding tips. The training was updated in response to a law passed by the City Council and is accessible online in five languages. Once completed, delivery workers receive a digital certificate from NYC DOT, which they can share directly with employers. The agency is encouraging all delivery workers to take the training, which includes new content on e-bike riding and battery charging safety, and plans to conduct an extensive outreach campaign to delivery workers and advocates.

"Every New Yorker deserves a workplace where their safety and dignity are the top priority-including the delivery cyclists who serve our city day and night, through blizzards and downpours," said NYC DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn. "We must empower delivery cyclists to make safe trips and know their rights on the job through education, while ensuring app companies are doing their part to keep New Yorkers safe through legislation."

NYC DOT will oversee compliance and implement the education program in partnership with delivery worker advocates to ensure that training is completed and workers' rights are protected in the process. The agency will additionally kick off a month-long on-street outreach campaign to inform delivery workers of the training course and their rights to safety equipment.

Finally, the Mamdani administration will work with the City Council to develop legislation addressing the root causes of unsafe e-bike and cycling delivery practices.

The legislation will:

• Require third-party delivery companies to provide trip-level data on deliveries, worker penalties and safety incidents to NYC DOT;
• Authorize the City to establish safe delivery time standards and regulate penalties imposed on workers;
• Authorize NYC DOT to require enhanced training for delivery workers who repeatedly engage in unsafe e-bike and cyclist behavior; and
• Expand commercial delivery safety and training requirements to cover all two-wheeled devices, including mopeds and motorcycles.

"Delivery workers help keep this city running, and they deserve to be safe on the job. Right now, app companies set the delivery timeframes and penalize workers who don't move fast enough, but these companies take almost no responsibility for the safety consequences," said City Council Majority Leader Shaun Abreu. "I look forward to passing new legislation to address delivery safety issues and applaud Commissioner Flynn's efforts to make sure workers have the training and equipment they need."

"Delivery workers make hundreds of trips every day to keep New Yorkers fed while supporting the local economy. They deserve the equipment, training, and protections needed to do that safely, said Council Member Gale A. Brewer. "This is an issue I have been working on for a long time, and I appreciate DOT's efforts to remind app companies of their responsibility to provide safety equipment and strengthen worker training, along with the continued partnership of delivery worker advocates working directly with workers every day. I also recently introduced legislation to require delivery platforms to share trip data with the city so we can better understand delivery time pressures and safety risks. We need clearer accountability from the companies themselves so the city can set safe delivery time standards, reduce pressure on workers, and improve street and fire safety for workers and all New Yorkers."

"We are grateful to NYC DOT for taking this important and timely step to protect delivery workers and improve safety on our streets. For too long, app companies have shifted the burden of safety onto workers while using algorithms that push impossible delivery times and increase risk - leaving workers to bear that risk without the power to change their conditions," said Ligia Guallpa, Executive Director of Worker's Justice Project and Co-Founder of its Los Deliveristas Unidos campaign. "By holding app companies accountable for advancing safety training and setting clear standards for delivery times that protect workers, DOT is helping shift responsibility where it belongs -- and in doing so, laying the foundation for a delivery industry that puts worker and street safety above corporate profits. We look forward to working closely with DOT to ensure these measures reach workers on the ground and to continue building an industry rooted in education, safety, and real accountability."