Gig economy couriers more likely to crash, says study

UBER drivers and Amazon couriers may be at a significantly higher risk of collisions due to the demands of gig economy work, a study suggests.

Researchers from University College London found almost half (42 per cent) of drivers who pick up work through apps damaged their vehicle in a collision at work.

Nearly 47 per cent admitted breaking the speed limit because of “time pressure” in their job. The study drew on survey responses from 200 gig economy drivers or riders – including couriers who deliver food or parcels and taxi drivers – along with 48 in-depth interviews.

One in 10 respondents said someone had been injured as a result of their crash at work.

An anonymous participant told researchers: “You must stay within your time windows. The customer gets a delivery window when the parcel will be delivered and if you go out of those windows, you get fined for it.”

Uber drivers accept bookings through their smartphones, which then sets the route to their destination, while couriers for Amazon Flex have their deliveries set on an app. Both companies had been contacted for comment yesterday.

The majority of drivers (67 per cent) said their company did not suggest rest breaks or give advice about phone use while driving.

It is unclear how many drivers work in the gig economy, but Uber has previously confirmed it has around 40,000 drivers in London alone.