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- Uber Eats workers can't deliver orders on foot anymore in New York City.
- Uber made the change last week, citing the city's new pay law for gig delivery workers.
- One Uber Eats worker said walking can actually be faster than fighting traffic in the busy city.
Uber doesn't want its delivery workers running — literally — around New York City anymore making deliveries.
As of last week, the delivery service no longer allows gig workers to deliver orders on foot in the city, according to an email shared with Business Insider. Its reason: walking workers don't deliver enough orders to be compatible with New York's recently enacted pay law, which mandates that workers who make deliveries through a gig work app make at least $19.56 an hour before tips.
"Because New York City's Minimum Pay Rate encourages apps to use workers' time more efficiently, and walkers have fewer delivery opportunities that take more time to complete, as of May 28th we are removing the option to deliver as a walker," Uber wrote last month in an email sent to couriers in the city.
The email directs workers who previously made deliveries by walking to use other means, such as a car, motorcycle, moped, or bike. It also contains a link to a company called Zoomo, through which Uber contractors can pay to rent e-bikes by the week.
Uber spokeswoman Freddi Goldstein confirmed the change in an email to BI.
Despite Uber's efficiency claim, Makeda Charles, who started delivering food for Uber Eats in New York City last year, said walking can be faster than fighting through traffic in America's most populous city.
Charles focused on delivering orders in Midtown Manhattan and the Financial District, and her trips usually involved walking no more than a few blocks, she told BI. She credits her Uber earnings for helping her stabilize her life after experiencing homelessness.
"It makes sense for a city like New York where everybody walks," she said of Uber's walking delivery option. Since Uber ended the walking option, she has gotten a fulfillment job at Amazon.
Goldstein did not respond to a question from BI about how Uber determined that deliveries made on foot were less efficient than alternatives in New York City.
Delivery services have made other changes over the last several months in the name of New York City's minimum wage law for gig workers. Uber Eats was one of multiple services that added a fee earlier this year to offset the higher wages for delivery workers.
Uber Eats and DoorDash also took away the option for New York City customers to tip their delivery person when paying for their order. Now, they can add gratuity only after an order has been completed or picked up.
Delivery apps have also been pushing back on a minimum pay law for gig workers in Seattle.
There, the companies have pushed workers to testify against the law and have sent them miles out of the way to avoid paying the higher wage.
Do you work for Uber, DoorDash, Instacart, Walmart Spark, or another gig delivery service and have a story idea to share? Reach out to this reporter at abitter@businessinsider.com