Join our Waitlist for Expert Advice!

Gig Workers Advocate For More Safety Following Attacks on Drivers While apps like Uber and Doordash require a myriad of personal information from their workers to ensure the safety of customers, drivers have limited knowledge of the customer.

By Madeline Garfinkle

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Marko Geber | Getty Images

In mid-April, three gig workers fell victim to violent crime in Florida: a woman was kidnapped and sexually assaulted after making a Doordash delivery, a couple's car was shot at after turning onto the wrong driveway attempting to drop off an Instacart order, and a man was murdered after making an Uber Eats delivery.

While the news is unsettling, for some gig workers, feeling unsafe is an increasing concern.

"The safety of drivers and couriers is a top priority, and we'll continue investing in critical safety features like the ability to chat with a live safety agent, record trip audio in the app in nearly 150 U.S. cities, and share their trip with loved ones," a spokesperson for Uber told Entrepreneur.

Roberto Moreno, who formerly worked for GrubHub and Postmates in San Diego County, told the AP Monday that he stopped working for ride-sharing and delivery services altogether due to concerns for his safety.

"We have to look out for ourselves because the companies don't do it," he told the outlet.

Moreno also noted the disparity between verification needed from drivers and riders. Drivers are required to submit a selfie, get background checks, and give other personal information, but when it comes to riders, "we don't know anything about the passengers or the people who we're delivering to," he said.

Related: DoorDash Employee Says Customer Pulled Knife on Her During Creepy Delivery: 'I Just Want Some Human Contact'

Gig Workers Rising, an activist group fighting for the safety and protection of gig workers, found that 80 app-based workers had been killed while on the job between 2017 and 2022 — with 31 murdered in 2022 alone, signifying an increase in violence. The report was based on press releases, police records, and court documents.

"App workers worldwide are grappling with a business model and workplace practices that leave them facing an unparalleled and racialized health and safety crisis," the organization wrote in the report.

In 2021, NBC News spoke to 15 gig workers — all of which said they often "feared for their safety," and that it seems as though violence spiked during and following the pandemic.

That same year, Uber rolled out new safety measures to protect drivers such as thorough verification for riders who use untrackable payment options like gift cards. Last fall, the company implemented more safety features such as freezing rider accounts that appear fake or offensive, the option to video record the ride using the front-facing camera, as well as recording audio during a trip.

"We've designed these new features to provide more peace of mind when driving and delivering," the company wrote in the release.

Still, among all the gig-driven apps, Uber had the most instances of workers killed in 2022 at 39% of total crimes, according to the report from Gig Workers Rising.

In regard to the report by Gig Workers Rising, Uber noted that the death of Milton Pillacela Ayora (which was attributed to Uber in the report) was not connected to the Uber platform, and that another recorded death, Michael Wallace, was in 2018 but still included in the most recent report.

Related: Uber Courier Drivers Are Concerned Their Cars Are Being Used to Move Drugs

Madeline Garfinkle

News Writer

Madeline Garfinkle is a News Writer at Entrepreneur.com. She is a graduate from Syracuse University, and received an MFA from Columbia University. 

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Business News

You Have One Month Left to Buy a House, According to Barbara Corcoran. Here's Why.

"If you are planning on waiting a year and seeing where interest rates go, you are out of your mind," Corcoran said.

Business News

Meta Fires Employee Making $400,000 Per Year Over a $25 Meal Voucher Issue

Other staff members were fired for the same reason, per a new report.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Thought Leaders

These 3 Trends Will Change What It Means to Be an Entrepreneur in 2025

Here are three entrepreneurship trends from the new Global Entrepreneurship Monitor report that are changing the landscape for the future.

Side Hustle

I Made $14,000 in 1 Week With a Spontaneous Halloween Costume Side Hustle — Here's How

Sabba Keynejad was in art school when he started to refine his entrepreneurial skills.

Franchise

The McRib Is Back, But Only at Select McDonald's — Here's Where to Find It

This scarcity is nothing new. In 2022, McDonald's announced a "Farewell Tour" for the McRib, suggesting that it might be the last time customers could get their hands on it.