According to reports, Meituan has officially launched the first version of its 'Traffic Light Stop Timer' feature for food delivery riders in Beijing, with testing now underway on selected road segments.
Multiple riders have confirmed that the initial phase of road testing has been completed. Earlier this year, Meituan's delivery safety technology team conducted internal product tests on certain Beijing roads, establishing a prototype that serves as a model for nationwide pilot rollouts. The feature is currently being tested on specific roads in Beijing's Chaoyang District, Tongzhou District, and the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, which are the first to have integrated traffic data.
The time delivery riders spend waiting at red lights in Beijing will now be calculated separately and added to their delivery time. According to a test video provided by Meituan, when a rider stops at a traffic light, the screen displays a real-time countdown of the red light duration. Meituan's AI safety assistant, 'Tuanbao,' issues a prompt stating, 'Red light, stop. Recording waiting time. Delivery time will be extended upon order completion.' Riders can also view prohibited road information in their area, choose different delivery routes, or decide their own path based on needs.
After completing a delivery, the rider's screen shows a pop-up message with the 'order number' and 'total accumulated time waiting at red lights,' and the system notifies them of the 'corresponding extension to the latest delivery time,' completing the 'Traffic Light Stop Timer' function. A product manager from Meituan's rider safety team noted that the product has integrated partial data provided by Beijing. He added that the product is still being refined, with data and product integration continuing throughout this year, and that areas not yet covered are being prioritized for implementation.
According to the team, the 'Traffic Light Stop Timer' feature relies on two main data sources: the rider's location and trajectory signals, and real-time traffic light status data in the rider's area. If a rider has multiple orders while waiting at a red light, the waiting time is counted toward each order's delivery time allocation. From recent internal closed-road tests, the rider experience has been smooth, and many riders have provided detailed suggestions, which the project team will use to continually refine the product based on data and feedback.
Public reports indicate that this feature was developed based on suggestions from riders. In 2022, Meituan launched a 'time compensation mechanism' for riders, which adds extra time to total delivery times to account for delays caused by red lights and complex road conditions. This feature has been rolled out nationwide. Meituan has also revealed that more than 20 other cities are currently evaluating the feature, and it will be launched in cities that meet the necessary conditions.