Amazon tests allowing independent contractors to use personal vehicles for deliveries
Drivers would use their own vehicles to transport goods, similar to other delivery apps
Amazon is testing a new delivery system composed of independent contractors delivering locally purchased goods directly from third party vendors to consumers.
Amazon's "flex drivers" will operate comparably with other contracted driver businesses such as Uber and DoorDash. Amazon delivery drivers will be allowed to use their own vehicle and their drop-offs directly to the consumer.
Amazon is running tests via pilot programs in Nevada, Virginia and Arizona. Flex drivers already transport groceries and other goods available through Amazon Fresh.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMZN | AMAZON.COM INC. | 198.38 | -4.50 | -2.22% |
"We have been delivering from third-party stores for years. This is just another way we are able to connect Amazon sellers with customers via convenient delivery options," Amazon spokesperson Lauren Samaha told FOX Television Stations.
AMAZON UNION COULD FACE A TOUGH ROAD AHEAD AFTER VICTORY
Meanwhile, the country's most ubiquitous direct delivery contracting company is walking back its number of drivers.
A parcel from the online retailer Amazon stands in a DHL transporter for parcel delivery. (Sebastian Gollnow/picture alliance via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said the company will cut costs following recent feedback from investors.
"The least efficient marketing and incentive spend will be pulled back," Khosrowshahi said in an email to staff on Sunday. "We will treat hiring as a privilege and be deliberate about when and where we add headcount. We will be even more hardcore about costs across the board."
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Amazon delivery drivers have been known to encounter odd and sometimes dangerous situations.
A man in Oklahoma City is wanted after allegedly throwing an inert grenade into a moving Amazon delivery van and forcing the driver to bail out on Monday, authorities said.
FILE PHOTO: A delivery worker of Amazon carries a packet to deliver it to a customer at a residential apartment in Ahmedabad, India, March 17, 2021. (REUTERS/Amit Dave/File Photo / Reuters Photos)
The incident happened around 3:30 p.m. in the 500 block of Southwest 27th Street, Oklahoma City police said in a police report provided to Fox News Digital.
The driver told police he was delivering packages when he spotted a man walking along the sidewalk. He said that he had the van’s sliding door open when he heard something hit the floor in the rear of the vehicle and noticed what looked like a grenade.
