Zhang Yu left the city and returned to his hometown in Malingshan, Jiangsu Province to work as the sole food delivery driver for its population of 60,000 people.
A 26-year-old man has become the only food delivery rider in a town of 60,000 people in eastern China, prompting online jokes that the town depends on him to keep running.
Zhang Yu returned to his hometown of Malingshan, Jiangsu Province, in 2023 after his restaurant business in Wuxi failed. Seeing that the town lacked food delivery services, he began delivering orders by electric motorbike for its roughly 30 food and beverage shops and 50 stalls, World Journal reported.
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A Meituan delivery worker picks up a food order at a shopping mall in Beijing, China October 17, 2024. Photo by Reuters |
He now works 12 to 14 hours a day, completing nearly 40 orders and earning about 10,000 yuan (US$1,400) a month. His delivery area covers about 5 km from north to south and 3 km from east to west, with most customers being small traders and migrant workers ordering food for their families.
Zhang says the work is less stressful than city delivery jobs because he does not face tight deadlines, and some regular customers even offer him drinks.
After food delivery platform Meituan expanded into rural areas, Zhang became the platform’s local contractor, station manager and delivery rider. He has brought 70% of local eateries onto the platform.
He rarely needs navigation apps because he knows the town’s roads well and enjoys brief chats with customers. But being the only rider also means constant pressure.
“I must always be online. I cannot afford to take a day off throughout the year, as my customers and the shops send me messages to check on my availability,” the South China Morning Post quoted Zhang as saying.
