Boston looks to require registration, insurance for third-party food deliverers in bid to curb roadway, sidewalk mayhem

Mayor Wu this morning announced a plan that would require food-delivery companies to obtain city permits, buy insurance for their delivery people and hand over data to the city on where all those people are going with their food - and how fast.

Wu said enough is enough - too many Grubhub, Uber Eats and Door Dash delivery people, especially the ones on scooters, are wreaking daily havoc, driving on sidewalks, weaving in and out of traffic and speeding the wrong way down one-way streets.

"The price of convenience cannot by fear, injuries and chaos on our streets," Jascha Franklin-Hodge, the city's chief of streets, said.

Wu's proposal goes to the City Council as a proposed municipal ordinance. If the council approves it, it would go back to Wu for her signature.

Wu said requiring insurance would benefit both the delivery people and any people they hit. The detailed routing information already collected by the companies will help the city figure out where the delivery hot spots are, which in turn will let the city  better design street parking regulations - and when and where to target enforcement.

Franklin-Hodge, the city's street chief, said the ordinance would only apply to large companies that provide food-delivery apps - local restaurants that have their own delivery people would be exempt, as would non-food delivery companies, such as FedEx and UPS.

He added the proposed ordinance also would not require the companies to hand over data on individual orders - so, no, City Hall will not be watching your diet - or individual drivers, but rather aggregate data about where the delivery trips begin and end.

City Councilor Sharon Durkan (Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Fenway, Mission Hill) said she and other officials asked the big delivery companies months ago for data on delivery trips through Boston and the companies refused.

She said the city has no obligation to cater to "multi-billion-dollar companies and tech giants that refuse to play by the rules of the road."

State Rep. Jay Livingstone (D-Back Bay) said he and his kids were nearly hit by a delivery scooter driver as they walked down the sidewalk on Dartmouth Street just yesterday.

Officials said compared food-delivery apps to ride-share apps - which once were unregulated as well, but which now have to meet minimum state safety standards.

Mayor's complete request to the City Council (3M PDF).