Lightening the load

In Chinese cities, people in yellow or blue suits riding e-bikes are easy to see. They dart between traffic, rushing from restaurants to homes and businesses, regardless of wind or rain. They are food deliverymen.
在中国的城市里，穿着黄色或者蓝色制服骑电动车的人随处可见。他们穿梭于车水马龙之间，风雨无阻地从餐厅奔向一个个家庭和企业。他们是外卖骑手。

Although they make our life more convenient, this can come at a cost for them.
尽管外卖小哥让我们的生活更加便利，但他们也付出了代价。

“The food deliverymen are trapped in the app.” This is the headline of an article in the Chinese magazine Portrait, which has ignited a discussion online recently. The title accurately echoes the author’s conclusion after interviewing dozens of people in the food delivery business.
《外卖骑手，困在系统里》，这篇中国《人物》杂志的头条文章近期在网上引发热议。这个标题准确地呼应了文章作者在采访数十位外卖行业工作者之后得出的结论。

The article pointed out that on food delivery service platforms Eleme and Meituan, the time limit and route for each delivery order is calculated by an algorithm. But the algorithm doesn’t consider real-life situations, such as red lights, speed limits and fully occupied elevators.
文章指出，外卖服务平台饿了么和美团会通过算法计算出每笔订单的配送时间与路程。但算法并未考虑现实情况，如红灯、限速以及满载的电梯等。

Based on the algorithm, the deadline for a delivery order within 2 kilometers is 30 minutes, according to China Daily. Within that time, a delivery person has to pick up the order from the restaurant and deliver it to the customer. In fact, the time limit for deliverymen has been gradually shortened in recent years.
据《中国日报》报道，基于这一算法，一笔路程2公里以内订单的配送时间是30分钟。在这段时间内，外卖骑手需要从餐厅取餐并送给顾客。事实上，近年来，外卖骑手的配送时限变得越来越短。

Delay could mean a deduction in pay. So deliverymen rev up, often breaking traffic rules, putting not only their own lives at risk, but the lives of others as well.
超时便意味着扣钱。因此，外卖骑手开始加速，他们常常违反交通规则，将自己甚至是他人的生命置于危险之中。

Many people criticized the platforms and asked them to improve the regulations imposed on the deliverymen. In response, on Sept 9, Eleme announced it would add a button to the app, which allows customers to prolong the time limit for their order, and encouraged customers to show more respect for deliverymen. But this only created more heated debate, as some felt that the company was dodging the problem and diverting attention.
许多人都批评这些平台，并要求他们对外卖骑手的相关规定做出改进。9月9日，饿了么回应称将会在应用中添加一个按钮，顾客可以延长订单的配送时间，鼓励顾客们对外卖骑手体现更多的尊重。但这一回应却引发了更激烈的讨论，一些人认为该公司是在回避问题，转移注意力。

The Shanghai Customer Council commented that the move was illogical, adding that the deliverymen are following rules made by their employers, and problems should be solved between the companies and their employees.
上海市消费者权益保护委员会认为这一举措并不合理，称外卖骑手遵循的是雇主们制定的规则，问题应该在企业与员工之间解决。

Some felt the company was putting the responsibility on the users rather than solving the problem themselves. Also, even with the ability to allow more time for delivery, some users felt this would not fully address the issue. “If I give them five more minutes, they would not use the time to ride slowly or obey the traffic rules. They would only use it to take one more order. This is not the ultimate cure to solve the problem,” Shanghai resident Tian Bei commented.
一些人认为，饿了么将责任转移到了用户身上，而不是解决自身的问题。还有一些用户认为，就算用户允许延长配送时间，也无法彻底解决问题。“如果我多给他们五分钟的时间，他们也不会放慢速度或是遵守交通规则。他们只会用这段时间来多接一单。这不是解决问题的最终办法，”上海居民田贝（音）评论道。

Wang Kerui, 19, from Beijing Normal University, said that campus policy requires deliverymen to wait for students to pick up their food at the gate. “Most students can’t show up in time but deliverymen need to be responsible for the delay. It’s unfair for them,” she said, adding it would be better to optimize the platform’s system and the delivery mechanism.
来自北京师范大学的19岁学生王科睿表示，学校制度规定，外卖骑手需在校门口等同学们来取餐。“大多数同学都不能及时取餐，但外卖骑手却要为超时担责。这对他们而言不公平，”她如此说道，并建议优化平台系统与配送机制。

Besides, market regulatory departments should prohibit companies from setting tight schedules for their delivery drivers and keep them safe on the roads, commented China Daily.
此外，《中国日报》评论称，市场监管部门应禁止企业给外卖骑手安排紧凑的行程，应确保他们的道路安全。

以上文章内容选自《21世纪学生英文报高中版》，详情请见《21世纪学生英文报高中版》高三723期