Amazon Flex and the uberisation of logistics

A great article in Gizmodo, “Amazon’s last mile”, looks at Amazon Flex, a logistics service using part-time couriers, along the lines of Postmates, launched in September 2015 and already fully operational in four areas of the United States .

The idea is simple: anyone over 21 with a driver’s license and a mid-size four-door sedan or bigger can sign up, download an app, and start collecting and distributing packages in windows of between two and five hours (depending on the needs and capacity of the vehicle), scanning barcodes with the application and earning, according to the company, between $18 and $25 per hour. The service’s presentation page is full of motivational videos of part-time couriers, along the lines of making extra money for a holiday, a car, or whatever. This uberisation of logistics allows Amazon much faster and more flexible distribution than traditional delivery companies.

Still largely unknown outside the United States, but like Postmates in many other geographical areas, Flex is part of the gig economy, offering what some argue is exploitation and others flexibility. For Amazon, it’s a way to increase its logistics capacity using people interested in earning money from delivering packages whenever it suits: driving to a company warehouse, loading a bunch of packages in their car and distributing them in a certain area in…