NEW YORK—Grubhub announced last week several new initiatives aimed at creating a safer, more sustainable environment for delivery workers who use e-bikes in New York City, including a pilot program with JOCO, a leading delivery e-bike rental platform founded in New York City in 2021. The JOCO partnership will provide at least 500 delivery partners free access to more than a thousand safety-certified e-bikes, as well as more than 55 JOCO hubs for continuous safe e-bike storage, battery exchange and distribution of delivery rider gear.

Grubhub is also working collaboratively with city leaders, the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY), and industry partners to advance the safety of the entire e-bike lifecycle. Key initiatives include a $100,000 grant from the Grubhub Community Fund to the FDNY Foundation, an organization working to spread awareness and education about safe practices for using lithium-ion batteries.

“Delivery workers are essential to thousands of communities and businesses, including Grubhub’s, and helping to ensure their safety—and the safety of all New Yorkers—is a top priority,” said Amy Perlik Healy, vice president of government relations at Grubhub. “These new partnerships are an expansion of our ongoing work to address safe use of e-bikes and handling of batteries by delivery partners, and we will explore any reasonable means to prevent tragic fires from occurring in the future.”

“We know that micro-mobility devices are here to stay, and the FDNY is constantly exploring best practices for how to use them safely,” said FDNY Foundation Executive Director Jean O’Shea. “We are grateful for the support of industry partners like Grubhub for helping us spread the important messages of safety and prevention surrounding lithium-ion batteries.”