For now, Flex drivers will only be delivering Amazon Prime Now packages – the company’s hour-delivery service. Drivers can choose to be available in two, four, or eight-hour blocks on the same day, or set a 12-hour block on a future day. All they have to do is drive around and deliver packages that Amazon customers are expecting.
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Ride-hailing company Uber Technologies is one of a number that have been sued in court in lawsuits that argue that the workers should be classified as employees and not independent contractors.
Drivers must be at least 21 years old, have a valid driver’s license and undergo a background check.
This will allow the company to speed up package deliveries in cities where Amazon Flex will be operational while also letting the average joe make a few good money on the side.
The innovative service is only available in Seattle right now, but Amazon is planning to expand it to several more areas (including Austin, Chicago, Manhattan and Portland) in the future. That included the company eyeing up other startups in the food delivery space before ultimately launching their own ready-made food delivery service.
As The Wall St. Journal noted earlier this summer when news of Amazon’s efforts in building out its own delivery force first surfaced, the retailer’s interest in developing its own courier service could help the company contain shipping costs which grew 31 percent in 2014, faster than revenue. Postmates, Shyp, and Washio were among other companies also sued by workers.
But crushing holiday demand is an obstacle not only for Amazon, but for numerous well developed by now online retailers in various parts of the world.
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The service, like so many Amazon perks, is limited to Prime customers.
