Uber Eats is facing a one-month ban on delivery services in Amsterdam due to the presence of an illegal courier.
Uber Eats may be temporarily banned from providing food delivery services in the Amsterdam area after Dutch authorities accused the platform of repeatedly relying on couriers without valid work permits, despite years of warnings and fines.
According to Arbeidsinspectie (the Labor Inspection Authority), Uber Eats management misled the authorities and failed to take adequate measures to prevent illegal employment. The authority confirms that financial penalties have not affected the company's behavior, prompting the authorities to consider harsher measures.
For this reason, the Ministry of Justice and Security indicated its readiness to suspend Uber Eats operations for a month. Official sources state that the platform has been caught seven times since mid-2021 using unauthorized couriers, with multiple violations recorded in each inspection over the past five years.
Investigations revealed that about 60 percent of the couriers whose documents were checked do not have legal permission to work. During an inspection conducted in February, it was found that five out of ten delivery workers were working illegally, according to the Arbeidsinspectie of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment.
Nevertheless, the legality of closing the platform remains a matter of debate. Earlier this year, the Rechtbank Amsterdam (Amsterdam District Court) annulled an official warning issued in 2023, considering that the government did not adequately assess the impact of the closure on restaurants and workers.
The case is currently before the Raad van State (Council of State), the highest administrative court in the Netherlands. Uber Eats asserts that cases of identity fraud are very rare on its platform, warning that the closure could lead to restaurants losing about 27 percent of their revenue, in addition to a decline in couriers' income and reduced options for consumers.
This dispute comes after a prominent ruling from the Hoge Raad (Dutch Supreme Court) that delivery workers for Deliveroo must be considered employees rather than independent contractors. Uber Eats responded at the time by employing couriers through temporary work agencies and paying hourly wages.
Despite tightening digital verification measures, authorities say these systems can be circumvented by sharing documents and personal photos. In contrast, Uber Eats emphasizes a zero-tolerance policy for account sharing and removes any driver found to be involved.
On his part, Uber's lawyer, Jan Reiner van Angeren, stated that the real problem does not lie with the company itself, but with the individuals committing fraud.