While the coronavirus forces consumers to stay inside, Amazon is joining forces with Lyft to attract drivers for grocery and package deliveries. Lyft has directed its drivers to pursue Amazon positions as warehouse workers, delivery people or grocery shoppers “as a way to earn additional income right now,” Bloomberg reported.
The message reportedly came as demand for trips is falling precipitously and drivers are encountering economic hardships. Fare prices are estimated to have fallen up to 11 percent, while demand has dropped around 20 percent.
While Lyft doesn’t bring food to customers, Uber Technologies Inc. can mitigate at least part of the decline with its food delivery operation.
Lyft and Amazon have rivaled each other for workers in the past, but the rise in package and grocery deliveries has changed that paradigm.
According to the news outlet, Lyft has hinted in previous emails that drivers could opt in to deliver COVID-19 tests, groceries and other medical items as part of partnership programs at a later time. The ridesharing company also implored drivers to adhere to federal health guidelines and recommended putting a plastic barrier in their automobiles.
The news comes after it was reported that Amazon was seeking to bring on an additional 100,000 positions as delivery service demand keeps rising throughout the country. The company also said it was bringing a pay bump of $2 per hour to its current workers, up from the current rate of $15 an hour.
Amazon said in a blog post, “We are opening 100,000 new full- and part-time positions across the U.S. in our fulfillment centers and delivery network to meet the surge in demand from people relying on Amazon’s service during this stressful time, particularly those most vulnerable to being out in public.”
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