Amazon's delivery service, known as Amazon Flex, promises convenience for customers in major cities, allowing packages to arrive at their doorsteps within hours. However, many drivers working as independent contractors for the platform have raised concerns about the system's fairness and transparency. They report that some users exploit the system by using bots to quickly claim delivery shifts, while legitimate drivers face penalties for infractions they may not have committed.

Drivers, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, described a challenging work environment. "They use a carrot and stick approach, but they use a lot more stick than carrot," one driver said. Another added, "Amazon Flex is a great side hustle; however, working for them does come at a cost."

Amazon Flex drivers are not directly employed by Amazon. Instead, they sign up as independent contractors, using their own vehicles to deliver packages. Shifts, referred to as blocks, are released through an app, detailing the time frame and payment. For instance, a four-hour shift may pay $154. Drivers are responsible for their own expenses, including fuel, insurance, and parking tickets.

One driver reported receiving multiple parking fines while delivering in Sydney's central business district, where legal parking options are scarce. "When delivering in CBD areas with no legal parking or safe stopping options, we are forced to either risk fines or leave packages undelivered, and we are penalized either way," the driver explained.

Competition for delivery blocks is intense. Some drivers resort to paying commissions to bot programs that quickly claim shifts as soon as they become available. Although this practice violates Amazon's terms of service, many drivers say their complaints about bots have gone unaddressed. Additionally, drivers have reported receiving automated messages accusing them of various violations, such as late deliveries or not following customer instructions. In one instance, a driver received a warning for "multiple late deliveries," despite proving that all packages were delivered on time and that an app outage had affected the recorded delivery times.

Amazon has stated that it carefully reviews cases before terminating a driver's access to the Flex program. A company spokesman said, "On the rare occasion where we end a delivery partner's engagement with us, we always do so with careful consideration and manual human review. We analyze all circumstances, investigate thoroughly, and provide a right to respond before terminating access to the Amazon Flex program."

As Amazon expands its operations in Australia, with plans to invest $1.6 billion by 2026, the company currently employs about 7,000 people. However, it did not disclose how many individuals are signed up for the Flex platform.

Concerns about the classification of Flex drivers as independent contractors have been raised by experts. Michael Rawling, a senior lecturer at UTS law faculty, criticized the portrayal of Flex as a side job, noting that many drivers rely on it as their primary income source. "The implication is we don't need to pay people as much because they're just getting pocket money or beer money," he said. "Whatever work you're doing, you need to be paid a wage that affords you the ability to participate in a civilized community."

Legal actions against Amazon Flex are underway, with at least two unfair deactivation claims filed at the Fair Work Commission. One case involves Gopal Bandameeda, who completed 22,000 deliveries before losing access to the platform after a customer complaint. Bandameeda claimed he was invited into the customer's home to deliver a package. His appeals to retain access were denied, leading to significant personal distress, including suicidal thoughts.

Another case involves Brijesh Patel, a South Australian driver who lost access to the platform after being accused of failing to deliver packages due to bad weather. Despite explaining the situation to Amazon's support team, his account was deactivated.

The Transport Workers' Union (TWU) has praised new national laws that grant gig economy workers additional rights, including protection from unfair deactivation. TWU national secretary Michael Kaine emphasized the need for a fair and transparent system for gig workers, stating, "Gig workers deserve a fair, transparent system, not to be kicked off an app because an algorithm arbitrarily decides so." Amazon has not commented on the ongoing cases but expressed anticipation for clarification of the new laws.