'Wild West': Boston cracks down on Uber, DoorDash, GrubHub drivers (2024)

Boston city officials are fed up.

In a letter to executives at three leading food delivery companies, police and City Hall officials described an “alarming increase” in delivery drivers operating motorcycles, mopeds and scooters recklessly through the city streets.

“We have witnessed widespread and ongoing incidents of running red lights, driving on city sidewalks, driving the wrong way down one-way streets, driving at speeds in excess of posted limits, and collisions,” Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox and Chief of Streets Jascha Franklin-Hodge wrote in a letter to executives at Uber, DoorDash and GrubHub. “This type of operation puts the delivery driver, and any pedestrian or driver of a motor vehicle who encounters them, in imminent danger.”

Many of the drivers are operating unregistered vehicles, Cox and Franklin-Hodge wrote. They said the behavior “indicates a concerning lack of oversight and care” for public safety from the companies.

In a statement, a DoorDash spokesperson said that “the overwhelming majority of Dashers do the right thing and like all drivers must follow the rules of the road. If they don’t, then they face consequences — just like anyone else.”

“We’ve been working closely with Boston city officials, advocates and other community stakeholders on these issues — including sending regular reminders of local regulations to Dashers picking up in the busiest areas of the Back Bay — and are eager to help find solutions so everyone in Boston can continue to safely share the city’s streets,” the spokesperson said.

A GrubHub spokesperson said the company welcomed the opportunity to continue working with city officials on the issue.

“To deliver with Grubhub, our delivery partners agree to obey all local traffic laws,” the spokesperson said. “While enforcement of the law is best handled by the police, we take safety seriously, and any reports of unsafe driving will result in removal from our platform.”

Representatives for Uber did not respond to a request for comment.

App-based food delivery has become increasingly popular in recent years, particularly spurred by the coronavirus pandemic lockdowns and months-long closure of in-person dining.

In the United States, the food delivery market more than doubled during the pandemic, according to a 2021 report from the consulting giant McKinsey & Company.

But the influx of deliveries has also spurred concerns of drivers double parking, zipping in and out of traffic, and adding congestion to city streets.

Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn said he had asked police to “strictly enforce traffic laws” and arrest delivery drivers who violated them.

“The ‘anything goes’ and the Wild West on the streets of Boston must end,” Flynn said in a social media post Tuesday morning.

Cox and Franklin-Hodge said in their letter that the city had distributed information on local and state traffic laws to delivery drivers and restaurants who use their services.

They said police would increase traffic enforcement “to address unlawful and unsafe behavior connected to delivery services,” including for drivers operating scooters and motorcycles without a license, driving without a license plate, and driving on sidewalks.

The city officials asked for a response by Friday to six questions, including how the companies verify that drivers are licensed and using properly registered vehicles for their deliveries.