New e-moped law in Vienna: there is a risk of job losses for food delivery workers!

New e-moped law in Vienna: there is a risk of job losses for food delivery workers!

The city of Vienna is planning a new law to regulate e-mopeds, which could have a significant impact on the food delivery industry. Loud 5min In the future, e-mopeds will have to be treated like classic combustion engine mopeds. This means that all drivers need a helmet, a moped license, registration and insurance.

Another significant change is that e-mopeds are no longer allowed to drive on cycle paths. These regulations particularly affect food deliverers and bicycle messengers, who increasingly rely on these vehicles. The aim of the law is to increase safety on cycle paths and create clear regulations for the use of these means of transport.

Criticism of the new regulations

Trade unionist Markus Petritsch expresses clear criticism of the proposal and sees the new regulations as financial and social hardship for the messengers affected. Many food delivery workers are freelancers and have purchased the e-mopeds themselves, either through purchase or leasing. The new costs for insurance and registration could exceed the value of the vehicles, which would further aggravate the situation of those affected.

Petritsch emphasizes that the law only combats the symptoms of a deeper problem and that the causes remain unclear. He cites the precarious working environment, which is associated with risky driving behavior, as the main cause. In particular, paying per delivery rather than per hour leads to immense time pressure, which endangers road safety.

Union demands

The vida union is calling for a number of measures to improve the situation for food delivery workers. Platform operators should pay for training, insurance and new vehicle costs. Furthermore, the union demands that operators be held liable for traffic offenses committed by their delivery drivers and that mandatory basic training be introduced for the small transport and bicycle delivery industries.

In addition, the implementation of the EU Platform Work Directive in Austria is required in order to better secure freelance employment relationships. OTS reports that the reorganization of e-mopeds and bicycles will also result in a redefinition of traffic laws in Vienna, with bicycles being categorized as pedal-powered vehicles.

The planned measures not only raise questions about safety, but also cast the existing working conditions of food delivery workers in a critical light. Political decision-makers are called upon to find a balanced solution that takes into account both safety on the roads and the working conditions of those affected.