Coming soon, city delivery people will have a place to recharge their electric bikes and cell phones, take cover from the rain or snow, or simply take a break, after Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer and New York City Mayor Eric Adams will announce this Monday a one-of-a-kind program called ‘Street Deliveristas Hubs’.
The 65,000 couriers working in New York will be able to make use of existing infrastructure, such as empty kiosks, which will be refurbished through $1 million dollars in expenses led by Congress, and guaranteed by Schumer, in the next appropriations bill for the Workers Justice Project/Los Deliveristas Unidos. A portion of the federal grant will also be used to help renovate a worker center in Williamsburg.
“When I rode my bike with delivery guys last fall, I made a commitment to fight for better infrastructure to meet their needs, including charging stations, shelters, rest areas and more,” said Schumer.
“With $1 million in federal funds that I have secured for delivery people, we are creating these innovative Street Hubs and a renovated worker center,” added the Democratic senator.
The pilot program Street Deliveristas Hub will be the first of its kind in the country for app-based food delivery workers, an expanding workforce in the post-pandemic economy. Delivery worker hubs will be designed in high-traffic neighborhoods with input from both delivery workers and communities to design win-win spaces.
“Deliverists are out there doing they work hard, day in and day out, and are essential to the way New Yorkers live and to our city’s economy, and essential workers deserve essential services,” said Mayor Adams. “By investing in existing and underutilized spaces, like empty newsstands, this program will ensure that our public spaces serve everyone.”65
The centers will also help keep streets and sidewalks clear for pedestrians and revitalize existing unused public infrastructure.
“On behalf of the Worker’s Justice Project and Deliveristas Unidos, I applaud Senator Chuck Schumer and New York City Mayor Eric Adams for their commitment to invest in and build the nation’s first Deliveristas Hubs, a new infrastructure model that will provide worker-led training. programs, essential services, information on workers’ rights, charging stations for micromobility, and a safe place for Deliveristas to rest,” said Ligia Guallpa, executive director, Worker’s Justice Project/Los Deliveristas Unidos.