Rest hub for NYC delivery workers unveiled in City Hall Park
Credit: Gerardo Romo / NYC Council Media Unit on Flickr
A former newsstand in City Hall Park is now a rest stop for New York City delivery workers. The city’s first “deliverista hub” was unveiled at 249 Broadway on Tuesday, offering some of the city’s 80,000 delivery workers a place to rest inside, safely charge e-bike batteries, and access other resources (except, notably, a bathroom). The $1 million worker-designed hub, the first in the country, will be staffed by the Worker’s Justice Project five days a week.
“Delivery workers keep this city running — through the cold, the rain, and every storm that comes our way,” Mamdani said. “They make it possible for families across all five boroughs to sit down to a warm meal or get the groceries they need right on time.”
“After long hours on the street, workers deserve a place to rest, access resources, charge their e-bike batteries safely and be in community. This space provides all that and more. In opening this hub, we’re building a dedicated place for the city to take care of its own.”
Designed by FANTÁSTICA and built by Boyce Technologies, the hub features a cabinet capable of charging 48 e-bike batteries, as well as an interior space roughly the size of two large bus shelters where workers can rest, receive free bike tune-ups, and access legal advice on issues such as wage theft and what to do after traffic accidents, according to Gothamist.
The kiosk at City Hall is not open yet since there isn’t power yet, but organizers told Gothamist they hope to “resolve the issue in the next two weeks.”
The hub is part of an October 2022 pilot program announced by former Mayor Eric Adams and Sen. Chuck Schumer to transform underused structures across the city, such as vacant newsstands, into “Street Deliverista Hubs.” The program is intended to serve the city’s roughly 80,000 app-based delivery workers, though its rollout has been slow.
The City Hall facility was constructed despite opposition from the local Community Board, which raised concerns that it did not fit in with the surrounding landmarked buildings.
The facility addresses a long-standing safety issue affecting delivery workers and e-bikes: lithium-ion battery fires. Faulty batteries have been responsible for hundreds of fast-moving fires, with the FDNY reporting 296 such fires in 2025, the highest number caused by lithium-ion batteries in the past four years, according to Gothamist.
The space also aims to improve delivery worker safety. According to a press release, one in five delivery workers is injured on the job, and the fatality rate is five times higher than that of construction workers.
Funding for the hub was provided through Sen. Schumer’s office via a $1 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The site is intended to serve as a model for future infrastructure supporting the city’s growing delivery workforce.
“For years, I’ve worked to bring critical infrastructure to the tens of thousands of app-based delivery workers who serve our city day and night,” Schumer said. “I’m proud to have secured $1 million in federal funding for this first-of-its-kind deliverista hub, which will improve access to e-bike charging, shelter, bike repair and much more.”
LPC approved the hub, located within the African Burial Grounds and the Commons Historical District, in April 2024. The city’s Parks Department provided the site location, while the Department of Transportation added bike parking and a street access zone on Broadway near City Hall.
RELATED:
