DoorDash would require its drivers to confirm their identities extra typically as half of a bigger effort to crack down on unauthorized account sharing.
DoorDash has been beneath stress to make sure its drivers are working legally. Over the summer season, for instance, it pledged to do a greater job figuring out and eradicating harmful drivers after a flood of complaints of dangerous driving from cities.
Officers in Boston, New York and different cities have mentioned that in lots of instances, individuals with a number of site visitors violations proceed to make deliveries utilizing accounts registered to others.
The San Francisco supply firm mentioned Thursday it was requiring some drivers to finish real-time identification checks instantly after they full a supply. Beforehand, drivers have been sometimes requested to re-verify their identities earlier than or after a shift.
DoorDash has launched the brand new system in Los Angeles, Denver, Seattle and different cities, and mentioned it deliberate a wider rollout subsequent yr.
DoorDash mentioned it additionally has developed a complicated machine studying system that may flag potential unauthorized account entry, together with login anomalies and suspicious exercise. If the corporate detects an issue, it can require drivers to re-verify their identification earlier than they will make extra deliveries.
U.S. drivers should confirm their identities with a driver’s license or different government-issued identification, and add a selfie that matches their identification photograph earlier than they will do work for DoorDash. Additionally they should undergo background checks, which require a Social Safety quantity.
The corporate mentioned it discovered that some drivers have been getting across the necessities by sharing accounts with licensed customers. In some instances, drivers who weren’t licensed to drive for DoorDash paid licensed customers for entry to their accounts.
Some federal lawmakers have demanded that DoorDash and different supply apps do a greater job of maintaining people who find themselves within the U.S. illegally off the platforms.
Republican U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Mike Braun of Indiana and Ted Budd of North Carolina despatched letters to supply firms in April asking them to crack down on account sharing.
“These unlawful immigrants are delivering meals on to customers’ doorways with out ever having undergone a background verify and sometimes with out even utilizing their actual names,” the letter mentioned. It added that working illegally may also be harmful for migrants, creating the potential for exploitation and abuse.
The Related Press left messages looking for remark Thursday with Gig Staff Rising and Justice for App Staff, which each characterize supply drivers.
DoorDash received’t estimate what number of drivers are utilizing shared accounts, however mentioned its safeguards are efficient. Final yr, it started asking drivers to re-verify their identities month-to-month by submitting a selfie. The corporate mentioned it’s now asking greater than 150,000 drivers to finish selfie checks every week, and it’s eradicating them from the platform in the event that they don’t comply.
—Dee-Ann Durbin, AP Enterprise Author