The New Year gift box has been received, and the first social security subsidy of 500 yuan for 2026 has also arrived! Rider Xiao Gao showed the transaction page on his phone, unable to hide his joy. According to him, many riders around him paid their social security contributions in 2025 and received half of the platform subsidy in cash, and the first social security subsidy for 2026 has now been fully disbursed. On January 20th, the Shangri-La Banquet Hall in Guiyang was filled with a warm atmosphere. Guided and supported by the Municipal and Nanming District Social Work Departments, Market Supervision Administration, Trade Unions, and other departments, the Meituan rider New Year commendation event kicked off vibrantly. Over a hundred Meituan riders gathered joyfully, participating in fun folk games, receiving annual commendations, and sitting together to enjoy a steaming hot New Year reunion dinner in advance, creating a strong festive spirit on-site.
It is reported that just before the Spring Festival, Meituan simultaneously held New Year celebration activities at rider stations across the country. Riders received local New Year specialty gift boxes and exclusive cultural and creative gift packs on-site. Through heartwarming reunion banquets and abundant New Year benefits, riders busy working away from home were able to feel the strong festive atmosphere and warmth in advance. Hu Tingzhu, Head of the Nanming District Committee Social Work Department in Guiyang, stated that the District Committee Social Work Department always pays high attention to the development of new employment groups like food delivery riders, consistently making serving and safeguarding their legitimate rights and interests a core work focus. The next step will involve continuously deepening government-enterprise collaborative governance, constantly improving the policy support system, and precisely addressing the urgent and difficult problems faced by the new employment group, ensuring every worker can tangibly share in development outcomes and better realize their life's value.
Simultaneously, the Guiyang Municipal Federation of Trade Unions and the Food Delivery Industry Party Committee also presented New Year慰问金 (consolation money) to outstanding Meituan rider representatives, conveying care and warmth for the new employment group through practical actions. At the event, 38 riders received commendations. Among them were senior masters who have been working continuously on the platform for 10 years and have mentored many apprentices, "Safety Stars" with zero traffic violations, and "Pioneer Riders" who acted bravely and performed good deeds readily. Over the past year, many models of "good deeds" and "bravery" have emerged nationwide. They stepped forward bravely when encountering emergencies during deliveries or proactively assisted community neighbors, voluntarily acting as "grid members" in community governance.
To encourage riders to readily perform good deeds and spread positive social energy, Meituan announced upgrades in November last year to two long-term initiatives: the "Rider Good Deeds Reward Plan" and the "Rider Acts of Bravery Reward Plan." These plans specially commend and reward "Pioneer Riders" who heroically help others and demonstrate social responsibility, with commendation bonuses of up to 100,000 yuan. For major deeds officially recognized, additional incentives will be provided. Rider Xiao Gao showed the pension insurance subsidy that had just arrived in January 2026, confirming that the first social security subsidies for the new year have been fully disbursed to riders nationwide. "This is my first social security subsidy for 2026, 500 yuan, not a cent less!" During the rider reunion dinner, Guiyang Meituan rider Xiao Gao happily displayed the transaction information. Xiao Gao has persevered in the food delivery position for five years. As the eldest son in his family, he alone shoulders the family responsibilities; his wife works in a kindergarten, and the family's living expenses and the renovation of their old home in his hometown all rely on his earnings from deliveries.
Fifteen years ago, he worked in Shenzhen and continuously paid social security contributions for ten years. After returning to Guiyang to deliver food, he always hoped to resume his social security contributions. On July 17, 2025, Xiao Gao received the first social security subsidy distributed by Meituan. This tangible benefit made him feel particularly warm: "This policy has saved me a lot of expense and allowed me to successfully resume my social security contributions." Now that his social security is steadily being paid again, he直言 (stated directly) that he feels more secure and finally dares to say to his family: "I have put down roots in this city." On October 27, 2025, Meituan announced that the rider pension insurance subsidy was officially rolled out nationwide, becoming the industry's first social security subsidy scheme open to all types of riders. The Meituan rider social security subsidy city promotion teams conducted over 10,000 Q&A sessions at offline venues such as social security centers, union stations, rider stations, and street consultation points, providing policy interpretation and operational guidance for riders.
Under the guidance of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, Meituan began participating in the "New Forms of Employment Occupational Injury Protection" pilot in July 2022. By 2025, it had expanded to 17 provinces and municipalities, providing food delivery riders with "occupational injury insurance." As of December 2025, premiums totaling approximately 2.56 billion yuan had been cumulatively paid for about 16.68 million riders, achieving "insurance for every person, insurance for every order." The "Critical Illness Care" plan has so far provided assistance to nearly 7,000 riders and their family members, distributing care funds exceeding 200 million yuan, making rider health protection more robust. In 2024, based on the exploration of the "occupational injury insurance" pilot, Meituan formulated the rider pension insurance plan and, under the guidance of the competent authorities, refined the plan details. It launched a pilot at the beginning of 2025 and implemented it nationwide within the same year, covering over a million riders.
"Now the rider job is becoming more and more stable, and I feel particularly secure. Delivering orders isn't just about earning an income; there's also solid support and security underneath, allowing me to work on the platform with peace of mind." Xiong Yongmei, a female Meituan rider from Zunyi, spoke about her current life with full certainty and joy. Having joined Meituan in 2019, she is a rider and also a mother of three children. On weekdays, she shuttles through city streets delivering orders while also managing to pick up and drop off her children at school, keeping her busy life well-organized. In 2025, the thing that delighted her most was her eldest son successfully getting into a pretty good high school. Her child's growth and progress became the warmest consolation on her busy journey. And since she started paying social security last year, this tangible security has given her more confidence, making her steps forward increasingly steady. "My biggest wish for 2026 is for my second daughter to get into her ideal middle school," Xiong Yongmei said full of hope.
"Everyone has family; I am also a father to a child. When away from home, if you can help a little, you should." On September 1, 2025, rider Ma Chi, on his way home, saw an elderly person fall in the fast lane, lying motionless on the ground. Together with another passing worker, he moved the elderly person to the roadside, immediately called 110, while a passerby helped call 120, and they performed simple wound treatment. He only left feeling reassured after the injured person's children accompanied them to the hospital. This action also earned him a cash reward and certificate of honor for good deeds from Meituan at the time. As a food delivery rider with 4 years of delivery experience, Ma Chi is not only the financial pillar of his family but also holds the position of Knight Captain within his team. In his daily work, he often reminds the riders he manages: they must strictly abide by traffic rules, wear helmets properly, and ride courteously under the premise of ensuring their own safety, not adding to traffic congestion or causing trouble for others.
Ma Chi expressed that he only did what he should have done, hoping to convey warmth and positive energy to society through these ordinary acts of kindness. In recent years, Meituan has listened to riders' genuine opinions through rider forums and continuously built a multi-level rider rights and benefits protection system. Currently, Meituan has initially established a multi-level welfare and security network covering all riders. This includes basic protections such as pension insurance subsidies, "Rider Occupational Injury Insurance," accidental injury insurance, and special weather subsidies; advanced protections including critical illness care coverage for riders and their families, and children's education funds; alongside work benefits such as work meals, health check-ups, women's care, family trips, and vocational training. In 2025, to provide additional protection for riders working outdoors in extreme weather like intense heat and severe cold, Meituan launched heatstroke prevention insurance and winter protection plans. Millions of rider meals and millions of sets of free work uniforms and tools were distributed across various locations. Rider apartments were gradually established in multiple cities, battery swap and vehicle repair service points kept increasing, and over 220,000 "Rider-Friendly Merchants" provided dining discounts and rest areas for riders. The benefits and protections cover all aspects of riders' "clothing, food, housing, and transportation."
There are over 10,000 registered riders with disabilities on the Meituan platform. Meituan has developed accessibility tools like speech-to-text and electronic communication cards for hearing-impaired individuals, solving communication challenges during deliveries. Regarding rider traffic safety, Meituan launched the "No Running Red Lights" safety incentive plan, where riders receive daily cash rewards for not running red lights. Active participation in the "No Running Red Lights" initiative has exceeded 400,000 person-times. Traffic safety training and online awareness campaigns have cumulatively reached riders over 142 million person-times. Thousands of "Rider Homes" and tens of thousands of rider stations nationwide are also providing facilities and services like free haircuts, physiotherapy, training, and consultations for riders, ensuring they can solve work-related problems and receive help in their daily lives.
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