What drives the drivers? A qualitative perspective on what motivates the crowd delivery workforce

Abstract

Crowd delivery is an emerging concept that adds flexibility to the last mile toward the customer. One factor that can hinder the success of such platforms is the availability of drivers. Against this background, this work conducted 27 interviews with current DoorDash, Postmates, and Amazon Flex drivers to gain deep insights into the motivations of these workers. Based on the observations, a self-determination theory (SDT)-based research model is derived. Despite some similarities, we find that the motivations of crowd delivery drivers differ from other crowds. For practitioners, it is important to consider these particularities to reach the critical mass of drivers and attract to most effective workforce. Scholars can use the provided qualitative perspective as a basis for future deductive-confirmatory studies.