DoorDash steps up driver ID checks after traffic safety complaints

DoorDash will require its drivers to verify their identity more often as part of a larger attempt to crack down on unauthorized account sharing.

DoorDash has been under pressure to ensure its drivers are operating legally. Over the summer, it pledged to do a better job identifying and removing risky drivers after a flood of complaints of risky driving from cities. Officials in Boston, recent York and other cities have said that in many cases, people with multiple traffic violations continue making deliveries using accounts registered to others.

The San Francisco delivery corporation said Thursday it has begun requiring some drivers to complete real-period identity checks immediately after they complete a delivery. Previously, drivers were occasionally asked to re-verify their identity before or after a shift. The recent structure has been introduced in Los Angeles, Denver, Seattle and other cities and will roll out more widely next year.

DoorDash said it has also developed an advanced machine learning structure that can flag potential unauthorized account access, including login anomalies and suspicious activity. If the corporation detects a issue it will require the driver to re-verify their identity before they can make more deliveries.

Before U.S. drivers can make DoorDash deliveries, they must verify their identity with a driver’s license or other government-issued identification and upload a selfie that matches their identification photo. They also must submit to a background check, which requires a Social safety number.

But the corporation has found that some drivers are getting around those requirements by sharing accounts with authorized users. In some cases, drivers who haven’t been authorized to drive for DoorDash are paying authorized users for access to their accounts.

Some federal lawmakers have also demanded that DoorDash and other delivery apps do a better job of keeping illegal immigrants off their platforms. Republican U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Mike Braun of Indiana and Ted Budd of North Carolina sent letters to delivery companies in April asking them to crack down on account sharing.

“These illegal immigrants are delivering food directly to consumers’ doors without ever having undergone a background check and often without even using their real names,” the note said. It added that working illegally can also be risky for migrants, creating the potential for exploitation and abuse.

DoorDash won’t approximate how many drivers are using shared accounts, but said its safeguards are effective. Last year, it began asking drivers to re-verify their identities monthly by submitting a selfie. The corporation said it is now asking more than 150,000 drivers to complete selfie checks each week, and it’s removing them from the platform if they don’t comply.