Immigrants in the District of Columbia are driving unregistered mopeds and motorcycles to deliver food through popular apps like Uber Eats and DoorDash, violating the companies' terms of service in the process.
In April, the Daily Signal began investigating the unprecedented increase in motorcycle and moped traffic in Washington, D.C. The paper found that many of the drivers who entered the country illegally over the past four years have been driving unregistered mopeds in broad daylight and facing no consequences for their actions.
Following the Daily Signal's report, the Washington DC Police Department launched “Operation Ride Right” to crack down on these illegal activities. To date, more than 200 mopeds have been impounded, over 60 people have been arrested, and 207 tickets have been issued.
At the same time, many drivers are logging onto Uber Eats and DoorDash to make deliveries.
As The Washington Post previously reported, some illegal immigrants in Washington, DC, have been “borrowing” login details from approved users, a flagrant violation of Uber Eats' community guidelines.
The Daily Signal began investigating to see whether those same immigrants who drive unregistered mopeds also use apps like Uber Eats and Door Dash, and if so, how they do so.
On Wednesday, we placed four delivery orders from different DC restaurants, two through Door Dash and two through Uber Eats.
Within an hour, two out of four orders were delivered by a migrant driving an unregistered motorbike.
Our first DoorDash driver, “Jeremy,” arrived on a 150cc motorcycle with a “49cc” tag on the back and no license plate.
(Photo: Tim Kennedy/The Daily Signal)
As previously revealed, many illegal immigrants use the same fake license plates to evade police detection.
Jeremy admitted that the DoorDash account was his and that he had entered the U.S. five months ago.
When asked whether a driver's license or Social Security number is required to drive a bike for DoorDash, he said “no.”
DoorDash drivers must follow all local laws. It is a violation of DC law to operate an unregistered motorcycle.
When asked about its policy regarding drivers using unregistered vehicles, a DoorDash spokesperson said:
“We are always working to keep the streets vibrant and active in the communities we serve. The overwhelming majority of Dashers do the right thing and, like all drivers, they must obey the rules of the road. If they don't, they will be penalized just like anyone else.”
According to the company, sharing Dasher login information is strictly prohibited and may result in the deactivation of your account. In August 2023, the company introduced an additional screening process in the United States called “identity re-verification.”
If the Dasher app detects possible account fraud, it will prompt users to re-verify their identity by taking a selfie, after which third-party identity verification company Persona will check whether the selfie matches a registered government-issued ID.
Dasher applicants are required to submit to a background check using their Social Security number.
The second delivery was picked up by an Uber Eats driver on a bike named “Damien.”
To our surprise, our driver turned up not on a bike, but on an unregistered moped, with the same “49cc” number plate on the back of his car and a bag with “www.flyebike.com” written on it in big green ink on the back.
We asked him his name, and he replied “Darwin,” rather than Damien, the name linked to the driver's account.
Darwin, a Venezuelan immigrant who arrived in the U.S. seven months ago, said the account was his.
When asked how large the engine was, the driver said he didn't know.
When The Daily Signal began investigating the issue, they visited a motorcycle dealer in the District of Columbia, which at the time only sold bikes over 50cc, similar to the one Darwin rode.
(Photo: Tim Kennedy/The Daily Signal)
So we asked him the obvious question: “Why does the app tell you you're riding a bike when you're actually driving a moped?”
Darwin said he selected “bicycle” on the Uber Eats app.
When asked if the Uber Eats app asked him to show his driver's license and if he underwent security checks while using the “bike,” he replied, “No.”
Christian Lasvalle of the Heritage Foundation talks with Darwin (aka Damien), an Uber Eats delivery driver (Photo: Tim Kennedy/Daily Signal)
According to Uber Eats, all drivers must be over 19 and have a valid driver's license, whether they're using a moped or a car. For deliveries by foot or bicycle, applicants must show a government-issued ID.
We asked Darwin if he had ever been stopped by the police, and he said no, but that he had noticed police confiscating other people's bikes recently.
An Uber spokesperson told The Daily Signal:
All drivers who deliver for Uber must have a valid right to work in the United States, pass a criminal background check, and be over 18 years old.
Account sharing is prohibited by our Community Guidelines and we take this seriously. We have measures in place such as real-time ID checks that require delivery drivers to take periodic selfies to verify their identity, to ensure the driver delivering your food is the real account owner.
If we find that a courier is sharing accounts or using a fraudulent account, we will remove that courier's access to our platform.
Uber said all applicants must provide the company with their Social Security number and a valid government-issued ID to undergo a background check.
According to Uber's Community Guidelines, “Delivery drivers who use vehicles are required by law to hold a valid driver's license, insurance, and vehicle registration.”
The Daily Signal previously reported that some illegal immigrants are able to obtain temporary licenses from the DC DMV. [driver’s] The license is valid for a maximum of 18 months.
According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, illegal immigrants who have been paroled into the U.S., or who have applied for asylum and whose application has been pending for at least 150 days, can file Form I-765, an application for employment. The immigrant can then complete the “Applying for Employment” section of the application, according to the Social Security Administration. [a Social Security] card.”
While it is technically possible for illegal immigrants in the District of Columbia to obtain driver's licenses and Social Security numbers and apply for food delivery jobs on apps like DoorDash and Uber Eats, their persistent use of unregistered mopeds and motorcycles violates the companies' terms of use.
