China’s two largest providers of on-demand delivery services, Meituan and Ele.me, have introduced new features that alert or force logout of couriers who work excessively long hours, with the aim of preventing rider fatigue.
In a similar system imposed on Chinese long-haul truck drivers, Meituan has trialled a ‘fatigue management system’ in select cities. This system detects longer working hours through the courier app, requiring passengers to take a break after a certain period of time, usually longer than 12 hours, a Meituan employee told the Post. If the suggestion is ignored, the app will eventually require the passenger to go offline.
Competitor Ele.me, owned by Alibaba Group Holding, has also introduced a “fatigue reminder” and warning system for its passengers. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.
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The platforms are introducing the alert system as food delivery companies, along with Uber-style taxi drivers, are bearing the brunt of China’s economic slowdown and weakened consumer spending, forcing them to work extremely long hours to make ends meet.
The Meituan employee with knowledge of the matter, who asked not to be named because the details are not public, said that once a rider reaches 12 hours, staff can “send reminders, force logout or stop assigning orders”.
“Meituan is listening to feedback from all parties, including riders, and continues to research and improve our fatigue prevention mechanisms,” the company said in a statement to the Post.
Ele.me said the system generates pop-up reminders suggesting riders take a break after long hours. If the prolonged activity continues, the app will need a short rest period. The company did not say what constitutes “long hours,” but told the Post it is “continually refining these measures.”
In November, Ele.me told local media outlet Hongxing News that it has implemented reminders in multiple cities for riders to take a 20-minute break after four consecutive hours of accepting orders. This follows industry guidelines from seven Chinese authorities released in 2021, including the State Administration for Market Regulation, Cyberspace Administration of China and the All-China Federation of Trade Unions.
Amid China’s ongoing economic problems, more and more people have turned to the so-called gig economy, or “flexible employment,” in the food delivery and ride-hailing sectors, to support themselves while looking for full-time work. The number of gig economy workers on the mainland reached 200 million in the past three years, representing about 23 percent of the country’s workforce, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
Meanwhile, concerns have arisen about social security, social security and legal rights for these workers. In September, a 55-year-old Chinese delivery driver died while taking a nap on his bicycle after working 18 hours in Hangzhou, sparking a public debate.
According to Meituan data, its 7.45 million delivery drivers earned a total of 80 billion yuan from the platform last year, with about 60 percent of Meituan riders covered by workers’ compensation insurance.
This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice covering China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP Facebook page Tweet pages. Copyright © 2024 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
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