Meituan and Suzhou Police Launch Feature to Extend Delivery Time for Red Light Waits

On July 31, Meituan and the Suzhou Public Security Bureau jointly launched the first official version of a “wait for light, stop timing” function for food delivery riders, initially conducting road tests on Suzhou roads. With this function, the time riders spend waiting at red lights is calculated separately and deducted from the delivery time. Currently, the function is being piloted in Suzhou’s Gusu District and Suzhou Industrial Park, covering approximately 1,100 intersections.

When a rider waits at a red light at an intersection, the rider app displays a countdown of the red light and a prompt: “Stop at the red light, recording wait time; the delivery time for this order will be extended upon completion. ” The rider can also view information on restricted roads in the area and choose different delivery routes or decide on their own. After delivery, a popup on the rider’s screen shows the cumulative time spent waiting at red lights, and the system informs the rider of the corresponding extended latest delivery time. The “wait for light, stop timing” function relies on the rider’s location trajectory signal and real-time traffic light data for the area. By accessing traffic data, the platform can determine the rider’s waiting status in real time.

If a rider has multiple orders while waiting at a red light, the waiting time is added to the delivery time for each order. With the official launch of this function, Beijing and Wuxi are already conducting parallel testing and integration, while more than 20 other cities, including Shanghai, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Nanchang, and Lanzhou, are under evaluation. Cities that meet the conditions will be launched successively.