STA, 16 August 2022 - The local authorities in Ljubljana have announced that couriers of the food delivery companies Wolt and Glovo will have to wear identification numbers so that their traffic violations could be reported in what is an attempt to improve traffic safety in the centre of the capital and respond to the growing number of complaints.
As Ljubljana Mayor Zoran Janković announced at Tuesday's press conference, this will be done in agreement with the two companies that have the largest number of delivery staff in Ljubljana.
Janković assessed that "a very large number of delivery staff in the city centre violate traffic rules", with the local authorities receiving up to ten complaints a day.
A particularly large number of violations are being reported in Čopova Street, which connects the Slovenska Road with Prešeren Square and the Ljubljanica riverfront south of the square.
As of today, each courier of Wolt and Glovo will have their own personal number displayed in a visible place, Janković said, adding that "order must be respected".
The mayor noted that the move was about safety for pedestrians, especially the elderly and children, as there had been quite a few accidents.
Clemens Brugger, the director of the Slovenian branch of Wolt, and the regional courier manager at Glovo Blaž Marolt have agreed that the common goal of the initiative was safe traffic for all residents of Ljubljana and of couriers.
Brugger said that the vast majority of their couriers delivered food on time and without committing traffic violations, adding that the project would "help identify the handful of violators".
Marolt added that the company would "talk with the violators who will be reported multiple times, and if complaints continue, they will be dismissed".
Brugger said it was not up to Wolt to punish traffic violations, which was in the domain of the competent authorities, and Janković added that it would not be possible to punish violators if they were not caught by the police or traffic wardens.
Reservations have also been expressed about the idea as the financial standing of couriers could suffer as the pay depends on the number of performed deliveries.
The mayor said that couriers who think so should present better proposals, while a courier who participated in the press conference added that "if you think that you don't have enough time for a delivery, you can reject it."
"There is no need to rush," he said, while expressing scepticism that identification numbers will resolve the situation fully, although it is expected to reduce the number of violations.
Janković added that further steps could be taken depending on the number of complaints and information provided by the competent authorities.
