Opening Delivery Apps, "Please Help with Children's School Commute"... Unexpected Popularity Among Chinese Parents

China's Largest Delivery Platform 'Meituan'
Using Errand Services for Children's School Commute
Debate Among Netizens

Recently, among Chinese parents, using delivery apps to escort their children to and from school has been spreading like a trend.

On the 30th (local time), according to Chinese media Huanqiu.com, the number of parents entrusting delivery workers with their children's school commutes through the delivery platform 'Meituan' is increasing. 'Meituan' is China's largest delivery platform, offering not only food delivery but also errand services. This service was originally designed to quickly deliver important documents, medicine, cakes, and similar items. Although people are not included in the range of deliverable items, some parents use this service because the delivery workers' identities are verified and they can monitor their child's route in real time.

Children going to school using a delivery app. Hwan Chi-woo Wang

In fact, since mid-last month, parents have been posting on social networking services (SNS) to verify their use of the service. Parents said they use the errand service in unavoidable situations, such as being busy with work or having difficulty seeing their child off early in the morning after working late.

In particular, the media tried applying for the service under the title "Sending a child to school for supplementary lessons," and reportedly, a delivery worker was assigned within 3 minutes. Afterwards, the delivery worker contacted them saying, "Is the child ready? I will arrive in 6 minutes," and the fee was reported to be 12 yuan (about 2,418 won).

This has sparked debate among local netizens. Some commented, "It doesn't make sense for a delivery platform worker to pick up a child," "A child is not a delivery item," "Delivery workers have to move quickly, so how can the child's safety be guaranteed?" and "It's risky, but demand seems to be increasing." On the other hand, some opinions included, "The delivery worker earns money, parents worry less, so it's good for both," "A creative idea," and "It seems safe since the child's route can be monitored in real time."