A Wisconsin woman posted a video explaining why she no longer drives for DoorDash. After listening, viewers can understand why.
On Nov. 18, TikTok user Kayla Martinson (@knowing_kayla) posted a two-part video series recapping the last time she fulfilled a DoorDash order. “This is a story time of why I no longer Doordash,” she says.
She explains that she normally does not deliver at night, but changed her mind this specific night due to a special DoorDash incentive. “I got a notification from the Dasher app offering guaranteed money,” she explains. “DoorDash was having a large amount of orders that night and clearly didn’t have enough drivers.”
Kayla explains that it got dark quickly, and she made a rule when she started that she would not make deliveries in the dark. “By the time I got an order, went to Culver’s, [and] picked it up, it was dark out, so I really only had time for this one order,” says Kayla.
She states that she accepted the order because the tip was good and she assumed the order was for a large family based on what the customer opened.
When she initially saw the delivery destination, she assumed it was in a nice part of town, by a new development. However, her assumptions started to change the more she kept driving. “I’m driving down the road, and I pass the new development, and I’m like, ‘Oh, this is not where I thought it was,’” says Martinson.
She states that she began driving down a “spooky” gravel road and was confused when she arrived at her destination, which appeared to be a narrow, grown-over, and eroded driveway. ”And at the end of the driveway, I can see a floodlight on an old barn,” she explains.
She explains that she pulled into the driveway, which was not horseshoe, meaning she’d have to reverse out of it to leave. She states that she approached the house, which had no lights on. The order said to drop the delivery off at the door. However, when she set the bag down, the door opened.
“It’s dark in the house,” says Martinson. “All I see is a silhouette of an old man, and, like, he’s got tattoos all over his arms, and you can’t even see what the tattoos are because he’s had them for so long. And it just smelled like cigarettes and cat pee.”
She says that when she looked up, the man said, “Pretty nice night, huh?”
Martinson says that she tried to leave as fast as possible, without engaging. “And all I can think about as I turn around is ‘What’s gonna happen to me? Is this it? Am I done?’” she says. “I don’t know. I get in my car and lock the door, quick. And now I just gotta, like, back out of there.”
Martinson’s story reflects the experiences of many women who drive for DoorDash, many of whom are concerned for their safety when interacting with customers when nobody else is around.
Many commenters echoed Martinson’s concerns. “This is why I usually carry a taser and keep a knife in my car in case I forget that when I DoorDash,” wrote one commenter.
Another comment highlighted Martinson’s concern about how she accepted the order when she believed it was in a different part of town. “Awful maps,” the person wrote. “And let’s talk about when […] you lose signal and end up in a field of cows.”
Martinson’s story is far from isolated. Across Reddit, many DoorDash drivers frequently report major GPS and routing failures, especially in rural or poorly mapped areas. One driver said the DoorDash app sent them down a dangerous logging trail instead of a real driveway.
“Apple Maps and Google Maps both have the correct route, but DoorDash’s mapping system doesn’t,” said one Reddit user.
Regarding broader safety concerns, DoorDash points to its growing suite of safety tools and proactive efforts. Its SafeDash toolkit includes real‑time safety alerts, a 24/7 “Trust & Safety” team, and even a check-in feature to reassure drivers during potentially risky dashes.
The company has also pledged to further promote road safety through a partnership with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Call to Action campaign. Yet despite these steps, the gap remains between DoorDash’s stated intentions and the lived experiences of Dashers like Martinson.
All Hip Hop reached out to Martinson via TikTok direct message and DoorDash via email for comment.
@knowing_kayla DoorDash storytime #doordash #dasher #storytime ♬ original sound – Kayla Martinson
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