NO TIME
Amazon is polling drivers about their bathroom breaks after apologizing for denying that workers pee in bottles. Drivers say the survey is missing a key answer.

ndailey@businessinsider.com (Natasha Dailey,Avery Hartmans) 

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Amazon asked its drivers in a survey if they're "able to find restrooms" on their routes.

The drivers said the question missed the point of their problem - that they don't have time to.

"They're giving us monster routes," one driver told Insider.

Amazon asked its drivers in a recent survey if they were "able to find restrooms" while making deliveries, but workers said the question was missing their main problem - that they don't have enough time.

Several Amazon delivery drivers shared a screenshot of the survey with Insider on Monday. It asked, "Are you able to find open restrooms for use while making deliveries?" And had four options for answers

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Courtesy of Amazon delivery driver Amazon driver survey on May 3, 2021. 

"The funny part about this screenshot is that they don't provide an option for 'Do not have time to use the restroom,' which is the main problem," one Amazon driver told Insider. He asked to remain anonymous for fear of job repercussions for speaking publicly.

Insider has previously documented how Amazon drivers often pee in bottles, as well as poop in bags and change menstrual pads while driving, due to the time constraints of the job.

The company previously denied that its workers peed in bottles on Twitter, but then later apologized for the tweet. Calling the issue an industry-wide trend, it attributed the problem to rural routes, pandemic-closed restrooms, and traffic, and said it was working to come up with solutions.

Insider spoke with four drivers about the survey, three of whom asked for anonymity to protect their jobs. Amazon did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment on the survey.

One driver said he selected the top choice, which read, "No I am not being allowed access to open restrooms," because drivers "frankly aren't given enough time to search for restrooms."

"They're giving us monster routes," he said. "If we so much as fall 10 minutes behind, Amazon will ask the dispatchers why we are behind," he said.

Read more: Jeff Bezos responds to employee question about his resignation as CEO, says Amazon can 'out-survive any individual in the company, including, of course, myself'

Amazon driver Robert Lupia said he receives surveys almost every morning. He told Insider he is expected to deliver 350 to 400 packages per day, and he's required to clock out for lunch breaks but doesn't have time to take the break.

"Yes we pee in bottles daily; it's part of the job," he said. "Places don't allow non-customers to use their bathrooms."

A driver based near Lansing, Michigan, said the "I don't know how to find a restroom" option was "a little condescending." But, he said, acknowledging the restroom issue "is at least a step in the right direction."
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