‘Amazon Flex’ Aims to Enlist the Gig Economy with Uber-For-Packages Concept

By Published on September 30, 2015

If chauffeuring drunk customers around in your car for Uber or Lyft doesn’t really appeal to you, Amazon might have an alternative.

Amazon is unveiling its program Amazon Flex, a new initiative, only for Amazon Prime members, that allows certain products to be delivered to customers within a few hours.

But, the business model for the Flex program is reminiscent of other businesses in the “sharing economy,” like Uber, Airbnb, and RelayRides.

The sharing economy is a type of online service where certain assets, like cars or other services, are shared with those who are willing to pay.

To become a part-time driver for Amazon, you have to be at least 21-years old, have a car with a valid driver’s license, have an Android phone, and have a clean enough record to pass a background check.

The drivers can also set their own hours.

According to Amazon, drivers “can choose any available 2, 4, and 8 hour blocks of time to work the same day, or set availability for up to 12 hours per day for the future. You can work as much or as little as you want.”

Drivers pick up a customer’s package from a location nearby that is based on the radius of the driver. The pay? Amazon pays the part-time drivers $18-$25 per hour.

The company listed nine cities where Amazon Flex will be available in the future: Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Indianapolis, Miami, New York, and Portland.

 

Copyright 2015 The Daily Caller News Foundation

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