The rise in food-delivery apps has sparked a subsequent increase in something few could have expected: turf wars.


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While the turf wars of old involved countries fighting over disputed land or rival gangs feuding over territory, today’s battle-of-the-turf is taking place between delivery drivers looking for high-value, highly-tipped orders.


A 2019 article in The Daily Mail documented numerous driver claims about fights between delivery people. In it, author James Fielding says that drivers have had their bikes destroyed and their tires slashed while working on the job, with some saying that they had to involve the police to ensure their safety.


Now, it seems those driver wars have made their way across the pond to the United States.



In a video recently posted to Instagram, the account @newyorkshit shared what they claimed was delivery drivers pelting each other with bottles. “Only in NYC,” the account wrote in the caption.


It’s unclear if a delivery dispute is what caused this feud or if it was something else entirely, but one thing’s for sure: These moped drivers are mad.


What starts in the video as an apparently minor dispute becomes a full-on tussle, with numerous scooter drivers getting involved in the action. Commenters were quick to debate whether the problem was delivery drivers or the howling beast that is New York City itself.


Some begged for the demise of delivery apps.


  • “Corporate: Laughs in capitalism while giving slave wages,” wrote one user.
  • “Delivery services are way out of hand, they’ll hire anyone,” stated another.
  • “They have become a gang. Uber Eats and DoorDash need to put a stop to the bicycles habit the option at this point!” exclaimed a third. “They are reckless!! SMH.”


However, others said that incidents like these were simply among the numerous joys of living in the Big Apple.


  • “New Yorkers are out of control!!!!” said a commenter.
  • “NYC is a 3rd world country,” added a second, who has presumably never been to a third-world country.



Even more, users were just content to watch the world burn. “Yay!!!” declared a commenter. “Can’t wait to watch it all implode completely.”