According to reports, starting July 1st, the pilot program for occupational injury protection for workers in new forms of employment will be fully expanded across all 31 provinces in China.

Information from Meituan indicates that from July, the platform will pay the full cost of occupational injury insurance for all its delivery riders nationwide, ensuring "coverage for every order and every individual."

Expanding the Pilot Program

The launch of the occupational injury protection pilot for new employment forms represents a significant initiative by central authorities to improve the social security system for these workers.

During the second quarter, a relevant official from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security explained that the pilot began in July 2022, featuring an innovative protection model tailored to the characteristics of platform-based employment.

Data released by the Ministry shows that by the end of June, the pilot had already covered 17 provinces and 11 platform companies, with cumulative participation exceeding 29.9 million individuals, playing a crucial safety net role in cases of serious accidents.

During this year's Two Sessions, Minister of Human Resources and Social Security Wang Xiaoping stated that efforts would be made to expand the occupational injury protection pilot nationwide.

Industry Implementation and Platform Action

Guided by policy and under the direction of human resources departments, the food delivery industry was included from the initial pilot phase in July 2022.

A Meituan executive responsible for rider protection revealed that as of June 2026, the platform has cumulatively paid over 3 billion yuan in full for related insurance, covering more than 10 million riders.

Furthermore, the delivery platform has introduced a series of measures covering various aspects of rider protection, including occupational injury, pension, and medical health.

"Moving forward, the platform will continue to allocate special funds to provide more comprehensive services and protection for riders," the executive stated.

As a large participant group, the social and occupational security for delivery riders is now being effectively implemented.

Four Years of On-the-Ground Exploration for Comprehensive Coverage

In July 2022, a rider named Mr. Mai in Zhanjiang, Guangdong, was injured when his vehicle overturned during an emergency brake while delivering an order.

Although this was not a collision accident, the site manager informed him that any injury occurring while on a delivery run is covered by the occupational injury insurance, and the station would assist in resolving it.

Mr. Mai filed a report with one click through the rider app, with the manager helping handle the order and follow-up tasks, contacting the insurance provider, and assisting with the claim documentation, leading to a successful payout after confirmation by the human resources department.

This occurred during the first month of the seven-province pilot for the occupational injury insurance, providing riders with greater security against work-related risks.

Rider Zhao Yao, working in Beijing but from Sichuan, also had a significant portion of his medical expenses reimbursed through this insurance.

He believes that the most urgent need for riders is a safety net for work-related risks.

As the platform's pilot continues to expand, riders' concerns are diminishing: the platform pays the premiums, riders do not need to contribute; the app allows for one-click reporting, making the process convenient; and coverage extends to multiple scenarios including vehicle collisions and falls while delivering.

Behind this lies the institutional design and model innovation for occupational risk protection for new employment groups.

The exploration of occupational injury protection fills a systemic gap.

The new employment group is highly mobile, with a single rider often working for multiple platforms and showing clear seasonal work patterns, making the traditional work injury insurance model—based on monthly, fixed contributions and an employment relationship—difficult to apply.

Under the guidance of regulatory authorities and through on-the-ground exploration by platforms, solutions to these issues have been gradually developed: insured individuals do not need to pay premiums, with platform companies implementing a "pay-per-order, pay monthly" system.

Guided by national regulatory innovation and supervision, platform enterprises have actively participated in the pilot and continued exploration, leading to the implementation of the occupational injury insurance pilot in industries like food delivery.

Taking Meituan as an example, the platform began cooperating with relevant departments on research in 2019, initiated pilot preparation work under the guidance of human resources departments in 2021, and started paying occupational injury insurance premiums for riders as one of the first pilot platforms in July 2022.

As of June 2026, Meituan has cumulatively paid 3 billion yuan in full, covering over 10 million riders.

"Starting from July 2022, Meituan was among the first batch to participate in the pilot, going through a full four years," the Meituan rider protection executive explained.

"We have dedicated service personnel to assist riders and have also conducted promotional activities like consultation and service caravans across the country, bringing the work to the front lines and making it practical."

Building a Multi-Layered Safety Net for Riders

As protections continue to be strengthened, riders across the country are experiencing increased security in their work.

In the autumn of 2024, rider Mr. Hou was sideswiped by a motor vehicle while picking up an order.

Afterward, following confirmation of occupational injury by the Haidian District human resources department, he received a compensation payment of 3,799.51 yuan.

In Chengdu, rider Zhang Xingwei, who also suffered an injury, was initially puzzled, saying, "I never paid for this." His site manager informed him that the platform had already paid the premium for every order he completed.

In Beijing, rider Lü Dongxuan encountered operational difficulties when filing a claim, but the manager promptly visited him, and platform staff assisted in completing the relevant claim information, ultimately securing the reimbursement and related subsidies.

He reflected, "No one wants to get injured, but in moments of urgency and distress, it's reassuring to find there's a safety net to catch you."

During the gradual implementation of occupational injury protection, food delivery platforms have in recent years established a multi-tiered protection system.

In 2025, Meituan implemented a rider pension insurance subsidy policy nationwide, providing participation subsidies for all riders, covering both urban and rural delivery workers.

Beyond basic protections, there are also programs like the critical illness care plan for riders and their families, education funds for children, and cooperation in multiple locations to build "rider apartments" offering rental subsidies.

Riders can also receive weather subsidies and high-temperature care payments during extreme conditions like heatwaves or snowstorms.

Protection for the rider community is not only receiving attention but is also becoming systematized.

"Over the years, Meituan has actively participated in the occupational injury protection pilot, fulfilling platform responsibilities while exploring more rider-related protection initiatives," the aforementioned executive stated.

"In the future, we will continue to invest special funds to expand more comprehensive protection for everyone."

Supporting Rider Integration and Recognizing Contributions

As riders serve cities, various localities are also actively helping them integrate into urban life.

Many regions have partnered with delivery platforms to establish tens of thousands of friendly communities, friendly merchants, and rider stations, providing convenience for delivery, rest, parking, and meals.

Meituan has established two long-term incentive programs, "Good Deeds" and "Act of Courage," with single recognition awards reaching up to 100,000 yuan.

It also provides full-process legal support to ensure riders are not entangled in disputes due to their good deeds.

Starting in 2021, Meituan began conducting regular emergency response training, with over 5 million participants in online fire safety training in 2025 alone, covering specialized skills such as CPR, AED use, the Heimlich maneuver, drowning rescue, and trauma止血.

After several years of exploration, occupational injury protection for food delivery riders has become relatively well-established, with social insurance participation and vocational training coverage continuously expanding.

Earlier this year, Professor Ma Liang from the School of Government at Peking University noted that the multi-layered welfare safety net, including occupational injury insurance, provides叠加 support for the social security of delivery riders, further strengthening the level of protection and resilience, which is conducive to achieving full coverage of social security.

"Effectively addressing issues like work injury and pensions for riders enhances protection and also makes the labor market more standardized," agreed Professor Zou Yinan from the Economics Teaching and Research Department of the Party School of the Central Committee of the CPC, who also views this as an active exploration and necessary path to improving the protection of rights and interests for workers in new forms of employment.