They're putting out the fire.
The city's long-hyped effort to get delivery workers to swap out uncertified bikes and batteries began in earnest on Monday as the Department of Transportation opened up the application process for the first-of-its-kind e-bike, moped, and battery swap program.
A lucky 400 delivery workers will be chosen to trade in a bike with an uncertified battery — the type that have caused virtually all of the lithium-ion fires — for a new certified model. That's a small portion of the estimated 80,000 workers who earned at least $1,500 making deliveries in 2024, but it's a start.
“This is a historic moment for New York City's essential delivery workforce,” Ligia Guallpa, executive director of Worker's Justice Project and Los Deliveristas Unidos said in a statement. “This trade-in program will not only help reduce e-bike fires but recognizes delivery workers' vital role in helping lead our city toward a just and inclusive transition to safer, cleaner, and greener forms of mobility.”
The $2 million program will provide bikes and spare batteries.
The program, which is run by the DOT, is the result of a 2023 law introduced by Council Member Keith Powers after a spike in lithium-ion battery fires. Last year there were 277 fires and six deaths as a result of battery, up from only 30 in 2019, according to the Fire Department.
In addition to Powers's trade-in program, the Council passed Local Law 39, which required all devices and batteries sold, leased or rented out in the city be certified by an accredited testing laboratory in compliance with Underwriters Laboratory (UL) standards.
In the same year, the Council also passed Local Laws 49 and 50, which give the city the power to padlock shops that repeatedly sell uncertified batteries.
The requirement that new bikes be UL certified created two problems: Certified batteries soared in price, making it less likely that delivery workers would buy them. And there were still tens of thousands of the dangerous power packs still out there and, for a while, being sold online.
The application for the trade-in program is online and is available in English, Spanish, French, Bengali, and Chinese. Eligible devices for trade in include:
- A non-UL-certified e-bike with its battery, spare batteries, and a battery charger.
- A non-UL-certified e-moped with its battery, including spare batteries, and battery charger.
- Illegal mopeds (i.e. those without vehicle identification numbers).
If the number of applicants is greater than the number of new bikes available, the department will choose participants through a lottery. The application period closes on Feb. 17.
The DOT's press release contained no mention of the elusive Department of Sustainable Delivery, which the Mayor announced in January 2024 as a new agency to regulate the growing delivery industry. There has been no updates since.
Council members praised the trade-in program on Monday.
“Delivery workers keep our city running, and it is crucial that they have safe equipment,” Council Member Oswald Feliz (D-Bronx) said in a statement. “I'm proud that NYC is taking meaningful steps to resolve the many challenges that we have seen with defective e-bikes.”
Worker’s Justice Project will be hosting assistance clinics for delivery workers who would like help applying. Workers can show up to the Williamsburg location from Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or the Sunset Park location on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. during the application period.
