Amazon has kicked off a new pilot program meant to help deliver Prime Now packages even faster than before. Rather than relying on shipping companies to do delivery duty, the company is ready to hire regular people to deliver packages to its customers. Dubbed Amazon Flex, the program lets anyone with a smartphone and a car become a part-time driver for the huge retailer.
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Amazon Flex pays $18 to $25 per hour, the company’s site says, but the program is available only in Seattle for the time being. Soon, Amazon Flex will open to drivers in New York, Baltimore, Miami, Dallas, Austin, Chicago, Indianapolis, Atlanta and Portland.
Drivers can choose to work for two-, four- and eight-hour shifts on the same day, and up to 12 hours in the future. Drivers will need to have an Android phone, a valid driver’s license, and they will have to pass a background check.
For the time being, drivers approved in the program will only handle
Amazon’s move might be beneficial for its customers looking to get the ordered goods within the hour, but the Uber-like delivery system might run into some legal troubles down the road, at least considering what Uber’s currently experiencing. The alternative taxi company now has to defend against a class action suit in which former Uber drivers say they should have been treated as full-time employees rather than independent contractors.
