Delivery firm to better protect riders in winter across 186 cities

Chinese food delivery giant Meituan is rolling out cold-weather protection measures for more than 1 million delivery riders across 186 cities, including smart heated uniforms and medical coverage, as platform companies move to strengthen workers' rights for millions of riders in the country's fast-growing gig economy.

The company launched its 2026 Winter Care Program in Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia autonomous region last month, introducing what it described as the industry's first self-heating winter uniforms for delivery staff.

The new jackets feature heating elements in the chest and back to help riders stay warm while making deliveries. The first batches are being distributed to riders in colder regions, including the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Inner Mongolia autonomous region and Heilongjiang province, before being rolled out to other areas.

Meituan said it would also provide gloves, face masks, knee pads and other cold-weather supplies, allowing riders to select subsidized items through its app for as little as 0.01 yuan. The company plans to establish service stations in 40 cities, offering hot water, meals, winter supplies and electric bike maintenance services.

Meituan also announced plans to provide company-funded medical coverage for cold-weather-related conditions to all riders from Nov 1 through end-March 2027, alongside free online medical consultations and other healthcare services.

The measures are part of a broader shift among Chinese platform companies from seasonal welfare programs toward more comprehensive and institutionalized worker protections.

Meituan said it had paid a cumulative 3.6 billion yuan ($539 million) in occupational injury protection contributions, covering about 19 million riders as of end-August. The company has also continued to provide subsidies to help riders participate in pension insurance programs.

The expansion comes as China seeks to strengthen protections for workers in the gig economy, including food delivery riders, ride-hailing drivers and other platform-based workers, amid growing attention to working conditions and the use of algorithms to manage labor.

The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and six other government departments recently released draft regulations aimed at strengthening the rights and interests of workers engaged in new forms of employment, with the proposals seeking public feedback until Sunday.

The proposed 54-article rules would introduce protections covering wages, working hours, occupational injury insurance, algorithm management and labor dispute resolution procedures.

They would require companies to pay workers in full and on time, provide appropriate rest after four consecutive hours of work and assume greater responsibility for protecting workers' rights.

If adopted, the measures would — for the first time through departmental regulations — extend labor protections to workers subject to company management, whose employment arrangements do not fully meet the legal criteria for a traditional employment relationship.

Meng Quan, head of the department of labor relations at the China University of Labor Relations, said, "Rider protection is evolving from the distribution of welfare supplies toward a more systematic approach."

Winter has traditionally been a "stress test" for delivery rider protections, Meng said, adding that seasonal support should become part of sustainable arrangements that respond to workers' actual on-the-job needs.

He also called for closer cooperation among government authorities, trade unions and platform companies to improve protections for workers in other emerging job categories.