According to media reports on November 2nd， Meituan’s rider app has now fully launched a “block malicious users” feature. Meituan’s official rider account also confirmed via video that the “rider blocks malicious customers” function has been enabled nationwide. From now on， after encountering verbal abuse or other inappropriate behavior， riders can actively apply to block the user.
Previously， during a symposium organized by Meituan， many riders strongly expressed their demands for “fairness” and “respect.” Experts suggested that platforms should appropriately enhance riders’ options， providing laborers with more flexible decision-making space， and continuously improve multi-party rights protection mechanisms.
Based on preliminary research， Meituan launched a pilot of this new feature in multiple cities in September this year. If riders encounter situations such as verbal abuse， harassment， requests for personal information， or drunken disturbances during delivery， they can upload evidence such as audio recordings， videos， or chat logs to apply for blocking the user. The blocking period is one year.
According to the rules， each rider can block up to 2 users for a period of 365 days， after which the block will automatically be lifted. Riders can also adjust their block list at any time. To ensure user experience， even if a rider blocks a certain user， the system will still match orders to other riders. The platform will also ensure timely delivery of orders through various delivery models， order subsidies， weather subsidies， and dynamic pricing adjustments for difficult-to-fulfill locations.
With the expansion of the food delivery market， friction between riders and customers is frequent. Media reports have previously featured remarks such as “give a bad review if the delivery person doesn’t call me ‘dad’，” or riders receiving negative reviews for not helping customers throw out trash. In such complaint cases， platforms sometimes only go as far as removing the negative review.
On social platforms， some riders have expressed support for this feature， believing that by blocking users， they “won’t have to endure unfair treatment anymore.” Others point out that within a larger area， “if you don’t deliver， someone else will，” and blocking individual users has limited impact. This points to a complex dynamic where individual rider experiences are significant， but the broader market forces ensure service availability.
Industry insiders suggest that providing users and riders with more two-way choice rights helps protect the interests of all parties and is a commendable exploration. This move by Meituan reflects an increasing awareness of the importance of rider welfare within the gig economy and the potential for technology to mediate such relationships. While the effectiveness of this feature will be seen over time， it represents a significant step towards a more balanced and respectful delivery ecosystem.
