Meituan uses smart equipment to improve the treatment of takeout riders

At Meituan’s seventh anniversary conference on Nov. 26, Meituan responded to media reports three months ago by issuing several measures, hoping to improve the working environment of takeout riders.

The conflict between takeout riders and Chinese urban management has existed for a long time, but it was not exposed until three months ago that a report which entitled “takeout riders trapped in the system” was widely spreaded. It was also documented by pandayoo at the time. The report attracted widespread attention, and Meituan takeout and ele.me began to respond with action.

After the incident, Meituan set aside 8 minutes of flexible time for riders and improved the reward model for riders, but the effect was considered to be limited.

Some more specific plans were released on November 26th, details of which are as follows:

Meituan will launch a “product experience officer” to test the constantly updated rider-side app, to make suggestions on the operation logic, function and rule iteration of app. Experience officers will be open to all riders, and the first batch of experience officers will be more than 100.

Meituan will increase the production capacity of smart helmets and provide free physical examination and online consultation services for takeout riders to protect their safety. Considering the heavy work intensity of the riders and the occasional traffic accidents, after the implementation of this measure, the help to the riders will be more obvious.

Meituan also added the rider evaluation function to the system, trying to distinguish whether the takeout overtime is the rider’s responsibility or the merchant’s responsibility. In view of the overtime complaints caused by the rider’s special reasons, the rider’s complaint handling process will also be upgraded, and the regular problems will be resolved within 24 hours.

Meituan also said that the rider side app will be constantly updated, and consider setting up a mechanism for skilled riders to help newcomers.