Code of conduct for deliverymen needed

A Baidu Waimai delivery worker receives online food orders on his phone in a street in Beijing. A QING / FOR CHINA DAILY

THE TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITIES in Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu province, are reportedly mulling a regulation to cap the number of order for takeout deliverymen, many of whom have been accused of violating traffic rules on a daily basis. Beijing News commented on Saturday:

At least 242 traffic accidents in the city in the first half of this year involved takeout deliverymen, resulting in injuries to about 170, prompting the local transportation authorities to tighten their control of such takeout deliveries.

So the Nanjing authorities have good reason to intervene, but placing a cap on the number of takeout orders assigned to deliverymen is a questionable move. Deliverymen hired by most platforms are allowed to go for any order up for grabs even when they do not have enough time to finish the delivery.

Many reckless riders tend to disregard the traffic rules because failing to deliver an order within a given time－normally around 20 minutes－can cost them one-third of the money they make. Such a rigid assessment mechanism apparently does not take into account any unavoidable delays.

There is no doubt that timely deliveries must not come at the cost of traffic order or the well-being of deliverymen. Food delivery service platforms need to provide proper training for their delivery staff to ensure they ride safely, as well as give them reasonable incentives and penalties. The local traffic enforcers can help food delivery companies to better manage their staff without interfering with their daily operations.

In other words, limiting the number of takeout orders may overstep administrative boundaries. There are viable alternatives that are worth emulating, such as a code of conduct for deliverymen, along with a new management system that makes deliverymen responsible for their vehicles, most of which are currently registered under the name of their employers. A credit deduction policy that links the driving records of deliverymen with their pay might be another.