Why NYC Needs More ‘Deliverista Hubs’

New York City is building a “Deliverista Hub” that will offer services to delivery workers, but the need is far greater than one facility, writes Sophia Leibowitz in Streetsblog NYC. “The hub will have e-bike charging facilities, outlets, bike racks, and an indoor area staffed by Los Deliveristas Unidos to help workers access services. It won't have any bathrooms, which are notoriously expensive and arduous for the city to install.”

According to Leibowitz, the city has roughly 80,000 delivery workers. “In the absence of specific city-planning for the workforce, deliveristas have utilized the city’s public realm which has grown rapidly in the past five years thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic.” But while the pandemic brought about some “naturally occurring” public amenities like shade and seating, other facilities, like bathrooms or e-bike charging ports, are harder to come by. “For Los Deliveristas Unidos, the hubs are about dignity – a proof of concept to show what could be done if the city planned for the workforce’s needs.”