This week, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris began their terms as president and vice president. Both Biden and Harris have expressed views on a range of technology policy issues that are bound to be discussed in Congress as well as state legislatures over the next few years. In the coming days, we will analyze Biden’s […]
Category Archives: Drivers
DoorDash Is Hiking Customer Fees to Pay for a Law It Helped Write
In the months since a coalition of app-based gig companies successfully passed Prop 22 in California, exempting themselves from reclassifying their workers as employees, DoorDash has been silently passing costs onto consumers. The company-funded Yes on Prop 22 campaign claimed that not passing the ballot initiative would result in higher prices for consumers, and in early December, […]
Grubhub gig workers react angrily to change in tipping policy
California-based workers for food delivery app Grubhub have reacted angrily to changes to the platform which they say discourage tipping, saying they would wipe out the supposed benefits of new gig worker rules in the state. Last month, California passed Proposition 22, which though falling far short of the benefits received by full-time employees, gave […]
DoorDash Launches DasherDirect Banking for Drivers
DoorDash and Payfare have announced the launch of the DasherDirect platform, a banking platform for DoorDash delivery drivers that includes mobile banking and prepaid Visa cards for its Dashers. This marks DoorDash’s first-ever financial platform for Dashers, and the company says this provides its drivers with “new rewards and more flexibility and control over their […]
On-Demand Industry Launches Coalition
Companies that provide on-demand services through apps like Uber and DoorDash have formed a coalition ahead of a likely debate in Albany over regulations for the sector. The coalition, set to be announced on Monday, includes companies Lyft, Uber, Instacart, Postmates and DoorDash as well as advocacy organizations like the NAACP New York Conferene and […]
Inhousedelivery.com Launches Beta Service, Aims to End 30% Commission Fees for Restaurants
With delivery and to-go orders essential to most restaurants’ businesses right now, the last few months have seen an influx of tech services that promise to alleviate some of those restaurants’ reliance on third party delivery. The latest is inhousedelivery.com, a San Diego, Calif.-based company that today launched the beta version of its delivery platform. The […]
Food service groups offer local alternatives to major delivery apps
Adam Fry had just started exploring third-party delivery services when the coronavirus pandemic upended the business model for his bar in northwest Washington, D.C. Ivy and Coney, a dive bar known for its Detroit and Chicago-style hot dogs, started leaning more heavily on popular delivery app Grubhub once its regular patrons couldn’t safely visit in […]
ShiftPixy Partners with Big Association, Readies Native Delivery Push
ShiftPixy has been working toward a hybrid native-gig delivery model for some time now, but a big new partnership gets the staffing platform one step closer. The company’s overall aim is to bring efficiency to the part-time labor market by taking over the overhead of insurance. As CEO Scott Absher explains, that’s especially helpful when […]
Labor department considers new independent contractor definition, could be used to federally challenge AB 5
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is revising its interpretation of independent contractor status under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which could open the door for federal challenges to Assembly Bill (AB) 5. “Once finalized, it will make it easier to identify employees covered by the Act, while respecting the decision other workers make […]
Food deliveries booming in pandemic while other parts of ‘gig economy’ not in demand
Just like other sectors of the workforce, the “gig economy” hasn’t been able to navigate the coronavirus pandemic unscathed — but some independent contractors are far more in demand than others. Unlike a traditional job that pays a salary and benefits, gig workers are paid by the job — or the “gig” — and leverage […]