China’s food delivery platforms begin to enforce rider breaks

Meituan and Ele.me, China’s two major on-demand delivery service providers, have introduced new features that alert or forcibly log out couriers who work excessively long hours, in a bid to prevent rider fatigue. Meituan’s system detects prolonged working hours through the courier app, prompting riders to take a break after a certain amount of time, typically longer than 12 hours. If the suggestion is ignored, the app will eventually require the rider to go offline. The platforms are introducing the alert system as food delivery crew, along with Uber-style taxi drivers, bear the brunt of China’s economic slowdown and weakened consumer spending, forcing them to work extremely long hours to make ends meet.