The Perils of China's Delivery Workers

One courier loaded with bags of deliveries during the pandemic

Even before the coronavirus pandemic, the Chinese bought a lot of items online, from takeaway food to clothing and had them delivered to their doorsteps.

When it comes to food deliveries, companies would use algorithms to determine how fast the food could be delivered, and if the courier was too slow, they would be punished financially. And they would be rated by the customer too, thus affecting their chances for a bonus or pay rise.

That is starting to change after Ren Wu, or People magazine did an expose about the plight of food delivery workers, sometimes risking their lives or being involved in accidents while trying to ferry food to people as fast as possible.

Three delivery workers waiting for orders at a fast food eatery

For example in 2019, the average delivery time was 10 minutes shorter than two years earlier.  

Food delivery platforms like Ele.me and Meituan automatically plan the shortest routes for their delivery workers using real-time intelligent dispatch systems. In order to follow the designated routes, sometimes delivery workers will ride against traffic or run red lights, putting themselves at a greater risk of being in a traffic accident.

A report said in the first half of 2017, a delivery worker was seriously injured or died every 2.5 days in Shanghai. And in September 2018, over half of the 2,000 traffic violations in Guangzhou were committed by couriers from Meituan and Ele.me.

That's because the algorithms don't take into account the real-life situation on the ground, such as road blocks, construction, or even last-minute changes of address by the customer.

Not only that, but late deliveries are not allowed. Typically a delivery worker will make 5 to 6 yuan per order (US$0.73-US$0.87) and deliver about 20 to 30 orders a day. However, if customers don't receive their food on time, delivery workers can be docked 200 to 300 yuan -- practically a day's wages gone.

In addition, if delivery workers receive negative reviews and reduced wages from being late, they can be fired. And if they are in traffic accidents, the delivery workers cannot obtain insurance claims either.

Meituan couriers may see improvements in work conditions

China's food delivery industry is worth 300 billion yuan (US$44 billion) and employs more than 6 million couriers, mostly young male migrants from rural areas. This army of nameless and faceless people were hailed as heroes during the pandemic for being a lifeline for individuals and families during lockdown.

The story published by Ren Wu quickly went viral, garnering 100,000 views on WeChat within a few hours and over 100,000 people sharing the story.

In response, Ele.me [acquired by Alibaba] was the first to announce it will add a feature on its mobile app to allow customers to grant five or 10 additional minutes to delivery workers. It would also exempt couriers with good records from being punished for late deliveries.

"The system is dead, but human beings are living," Ele.me said in a statement. "We want to do better (to protect our workers) in addition to ensuring that the deliveries are on time... Every hardworking individual deserves to be respected."

But why should it be the customers giving couriers an extra few minutes, when the problem lies with how the algorithm is created? Perhaps the programmers who wrote the algorithms should go along with these delivery workers for a day to see how their apps work in reality?

Ele.me pledges more time for delivery workers

Meanwhile hours later, Meituan [owned by Tencent], also vowed to optimized its algorithms to ensure the safety of its delivery workers. The company said it would add an eight-minute "buffer" so delivery workers can slow down in traffic, as well as Bluetooth-linked helmets for hands-free communication while driving.

However, readers were divided on the opinions of couriers. Some felt giving delivery workers extra time would make them lazier and take their time, but this is nonsense, when they make more money by making more deliveries. Others felt giving couriers extra time did not address the main problem which is the algorithm.

This serious undervaluing of couriers has to stop -- only allowing them to earn less than US$1 per delivery is outrageous -- especially when they are risking their lives everyday on the road.