Gopuff’s UES location at 1365 Lexington Ave (Google Maps)
Complaints continue to mount against rapid delivery app Gopuff. The latest comes from NYC Council Member Julie Menin, who alleges the company is putting the safety of Upper East Siders at risk.
Menin’s February 22 letter to the company’s founders and CEOs expresses her “deep concerns” about Gopuff’s location at 1356 Lexington Avenue at East 90th Street, citing complaints from residents in the area.
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“Constituents have made us aware of Gopuff delivery motorized scooters and bicycles riding on the sidewalks at dangerous speeds presenting a safety hazard to pedestrians. Additionally, there have been reports of Gopuff delivery vehicles continuously riding against the direction of traffic in the street posing a severe traffic safety risk.”
The lawmaker additionally raised concerns about noise complaints, workers loitering outside of the Lexington Avenue location, double parking, and environmental hazards caused by “Gopuff delivery drivers idling in their cars for long periods of time.”
Menin, the former Commissioner of the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, also suggested that the company may be in violation of consumer protection laws meant to protect the public from false and misleading statements and safety hazards. “By prioritizing unrealistically quick delivery times and making those a hallmark of its business model, Gopuff leaves no choice but for delivery workers to adopt unsafe traffic practices to meet these guarantees.”
The convenience of super speedy delivery apps like Gopuff have certainly saved many Manhattanites from leaving their homes to pick up essentials or last-minute items. However, they continue to draw the ire of many. Add former Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and bodega owners to that mix.
In December 2021, she alleged that similar businesses, including the UES Gopuff micro-fulfillment location, were illegally operating as warehouses while zoned for traditional retail storefronts.
Earlier this month, the Bodega and Small Business Association and the United Bodegas of America took action. Fearing the worst, these iconic neighborhood stalwarts asked the City to enforce zoning regulations that would ultimately set up these establishments in their own districts.
Some lawmakers are taking it a step further, seeking to ban Gopuff and its counterparts from advertising 15-minute delivery times. City Council Member Christopher Marte, who intends to draft the legislative bill soon, argues that the quick turnaround time endangers the safety of both the delivery workers and pedestrians.
As for corrective action from Gopuff, Menin asked the company “to advise its workers to ‘respect traffic and pedestrian walkways,’ cut down on idling, and avoid making what she calls ‘misleading claims’ about its delivery times,” according to Patch.
We’ve reached out to Gopuff but have yet to hear back.
