E-moped conversion: vida calls for social security for food delivery workers
Accompanying measures to the amendment to the Road Traffic Regulations necessary – platform operators must be held more accountable
Amendment to the Road Traffic Regulations
The planned amendment to the Road Traffic Regulations (StVO) will bring far-reaching changes for e-mopeds, which are mainly used by food delivery drivers and bicycle messengers in urban areas. In the future, e-mopeds with low engine power, which have so far often been on the road on cycle paths, are to be legally treated like classic combustion mopeds and thus fall under the Motor Vehicle Act.
This means: use on the road, compulsory helmets, moped license, registration and insurance.
The transition period runs until October 1, 2026. For the trade union vida, it is clear: More road safety is to be welcomed – but social hardship cases must not be accepted.
"The fundamental problem is harried workers without sufficient basic qualifications in road traffic as well as platforms as employers who exhaust existing regulations through enormous time and work pressure without taking responsibility for it."Vorsitzender des Fachbereichs Straße
Time pressure instead of security
A central problem is the piecework system. Riders are paid per delivery – not by working hours. This increases the pressure and promotes risky driving behavior.
"The platform operators must not be relieved of responsibility. Their business models generate massive time pressure – and it is precisely this that leads to misconduct in road traffic," emphasizes Petritsch.
The implementation of the EU Platform Directive and clear regulations for commercial delivery are therefore overdue.
Vehicle changeover must not become a question of existence
Many e-mopeds are privately owned by the delivery staff. They were bought or leased – often under precarious conditions. The change in the law threatens additional costs for driving licences, insurance or new vehicles.
"We demand clear financial support for the switch to legally compliant vehicles as well as mandatory training on road safety," says Petritsch.
Precisely because many of those affected work as freelancers, protective mechanisms against social imbalances are needed.
The demands of the trade union vida at a glance
- Financial support for vehicle conversion and road safety training
- Possibility to hold platform operators jointly responsible for traffic fines
- Introduction of a mandatory basic commercial qualification in the field of "City Logistics" – financed by the platforms
- Rapid implementation of the EU Platform Directive in Austria to effectively curb bogus self-employment and exploitation
