NYSERDA x C2SMART
C2SMART is proud to announce the publication of New York City Delivery Workers: Insights on Travel Patterns and E-Mobility. The report is a result of a research project focused on understanding the travel patterns and needs of the city’s 65,000 delivery workers, in an effort to inform future policy and programmatic solutions around e-bikes.
Screenline data collection of micromobility volumes and modes followed by an intercept survey of over 300 delivery workers was performed in late 2024 and early 2025 at locations across the city. Both methods provided insights on mode share and preferences (gas mopeds versus e-modes); a benefit-cost analysis further quantified ownership costs by mode, showing that certified e-bikes are competitively priced when considering costs over five years. The findings suggest that successful e-bike rebate, trade-in, and battery swapping programs should account for workers’ home borough, duration as a delivery worker, and language, among other factors. work practices, language diversity, charging behaviors, and current mode choice patterns.
Many thanks to our partners: TEMP, Melinda Hanson (Brightside Strategies), Marianna Koval (NYU Stern), Joy Gardner and Lauren Kesner O’Brien (Empire Clean Cities), the NYU researchers who conducted field surveys, PopWheels and Los Deliveristas Unidos for distribution support. Finally, many thanks to the delivery workers who took the time to complete the surveys that informed this report.
This report was prepared by the C2SMART Center at the Tandon School of Engineering at New York University (NYU) for the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)]. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of NYSERDA or the State of New York, and references do not constitute an implied or expressed recommendation or endorsement. If you are the copyright owner and believe a NYSERDA report has not properly attributed your work to you or has used it without permission, please email print@nyserda.ny.gov.