Delivery riders given right to refuse

In this episode of Round Table, Steve, along with Yushun and Yushan, discusses a new feature being piloted by a major food delivery platform in China, Meituan, which allows riders to block unreasonably difficult customers. The feature enables riders to rate and block customers within 48 hours of completing an order, and if a customer is blocked and verified, the rider won't receive orders from that customer for a year, though riders can only block a maximum of two customers simultaneously. The panel explores the implications of this change, noting that previously, the platform favored customers, leading to riders enduring verbal abuse, unreasonable demands, and financial penalties based on customer complaints. They discuss the potential benefits of this new rule, including increased rider safety, efficiency, and dignity, while also addressing concerns about the limited number of blocks and the need for the platform to regulate problematic customer behavior more systematically. The conversation also touches on similar measures taken by other platforms like Didi and the broader trend of protecting riders' rights through positive incentives rather than negative punishments.