Shenzhen Formalizes 'Last-Mile' Delivery Jobs for Older Women

For three years, 56-year-old Ao Xiulian scrambled for delivery orders in a Shenzhen high-rise, sometimes watching helplessly as seven or eight people mobbed each arriving driver. Now she's earning twice as much in half the stress, thanks to a city program that's formalizing one of China's most invisible jobs.

Shenzhen launched an official "relay delivery" system in November 2025 to support "last-mile runners," mostly older women who carry food orders from drivers to customers in skyscraper apartments. Many buildings ban delivery scooters from parking outside, forcing drivers to hire informal runners to complete deliveries in tight time windows.

The old system bred chaos. Runners fought over orders since income depended on who grabbed them first. Some disputes escalated to police stations. Spilled food and workplace injuries came out of workers' own pockets, and platforms took no responsibility when orders went missing.

Local authorities spent months surveying building runners before designing the pilot. They found workers wanted stable incomes, safety protections, and clear order systems instead of daily scrambles.

Now relay stations outside buildings let drivers scan and drop orders before moving on. Orders get organized by floor, and runners check in with QR codes to select deliveries matching their physical ability. Many buildings have crowded elevators, so runners often climb multiple flights of stairs for each 1.5 yuan delivery (about 20 cents).

The Ripple Effect

The program extends beyond individual paychecks. Platforms must now purchase accident insurance covering up to 650,000 yuan ($95,000) for each runner. Complete order tracking lets drivers, runners, and customers monitor deliveries in real time, ending the blame game when something goes wrong.

Ao now completes 80 to 100 orders daily, double her previous volume, bringing monthly earnings to 2,000 yuan. She credits the stability to ending the morning rushes where aggressive workers monopolized orders.

Delivery drivers are winning too. The time saved from not climbing buildings brings more orders and lower risk. Many have seen monthly incomes rise despite paying into the relay system through platform fees.

Around 50 registered runners have joined the Huaqiangbei pilot, with plans to expand across the subdistrict. Zhang Mingbao, the local official who introduced the program, sees it as a model for including informal workers in urban systems rather than leaving them outside safety nets.

Food delivery giants Meituan and Taobao Flash are both testing the model. The platforms are providing delivery incentives and subsidies to drivers and riders in pilot areas, though exact amounts weren't disclosed.

"This isn't just about delivery efficiency," Zhang said. "It's also an experiment in how cities can include informal workers rather than leave them outside the system."