On the afternoon of September 11, in the Liangjiaxiang Metro hub area on First Ring Road in Chengdu's Jinniu District, autumn sunlight filtered through the trees onto the sign reading "Rider Apartment · Jiaozi Jingyu." Over 100 guests, riders, and media representatives gathered to witness the official opening of the first Meituan rider apartment in Southwest China. What was once a place to rest by the roadside has now become a space where delivery riders can simply "go home and lie down for a while."

Before the event commenced, attendees toured this apartment complex nestled in the bustling city. Elevators serve floors one through four, and the fresh interiors feature "Meituan yellow" accents throughout. There are TV rooms, meeting spaces, single rooms, and twin rooms—though compact, they are tidy, cozy, and fully equipped. The first-floor "Warm Station" includes a comfortable TV lounge.

"This is truly my first real home in Chengdu during my four years of making deliveries," said Fan Mingxin, a Meituan rider, standing on stage with a quiet voice that silenced the audience. He previously lived in Xindu, over 30 kilometers from his main delivery zone, commuting more than an hour by electric bike each way. He had to leave early before peak hours, and returning home for a break meant a round trip of over two hours. "Sometimes I was too exhausted and would just lean against the roadside, not wanting to go back because I couldn't rest long before heading out again."

When he heard about the rider apartment near Liangjiaxiang, close to both the Wanda business district and Chunxi Road, he visited as a rider representative. "The moment I walked in, I was stunned—brand-new rooms with air conditioning, a refrigerator, and a washing machine. I could move in with just my suitcase." Meituan also subsidizes bed fees and property management costs. "I signed immediately without any hesitation, no need to think twice."

Since moving in, the biggest change is a sense of stability. "After the busy lunch rush, I can go back to my room, turn on the air conditioner, and rest. In the afternoon, I come back full of energy. Being closer to the business district means better efficiency, and my income has gone up too."

In the audience, Wang Mao, a young rider from Enshi, Hubei, nodded approvingly. He has been a Meituan rider for only a few months, handling "one-on-one" express orders. Previously, he lived in a youth hostel near Chunxi Road for 15 yuan a day, sharing a cramped dorm with over a dozen people on bunk beds, with a single shared bathroom and washing machine. "Last month, while delivering, Meituan kept sending notifications about housing subsidies." He stopped to check and learned about the rider apartment at Liangjiaxiang. The room, originally over 300 yuan, dropped to just over 200 yuan per month after applying coupons. He and his friend Liu Yipeng agreed to "grab it together" and secured a double room.

Wang Mao and Liu Yipeng, close friends, are now roommates. Liu Yipeng, originally from Baoding, Hebei, traveled through Jilin, Liaoning, Hebei, and Shandong after retiring from the military before settling in Chengdu. "The pace of life is slower, and the climate is pleasant," he said. He had been a rider for over a year, also staying in hostels. "Now we have a room for two, a dedicated washing machine and bathroom just outside our door, and we're right on First Ring Road. It's convenient for picking up orders and grabbing meals—so much better than before."

The rooms are small, yet they offer riders a place to catch their breath after a long day, transforming "working in Chengdu" into "living in Chengdu."

From a "single bed" to a "home," a collaborative effort among government, businesses, and society is building a warm living circle. This apartment is not just another batch of housing—it is a joint project by Jinniu District and Meituan, built on a model of "government-led, state-owned enterprise implementation, platform coordination, and social worker participation." Chengdu's municipal and district-level social work, housing, and market supervision departments worked together, coordinating Jinniu Chengtou and Jinniu Guotou, the district's state-owned platforms, along with Hehuachi Subdistrict, to integrate Meituan's corporate resources.

During the preparation phase, Meituan and Jinniu Chengtou conducted needs assessments based on rider distribution and delivery routes, using real operational data to inform site selection and room configuration. The apartment offers 36.8-square-meter twin standard rooms, single suites ranging from 25.2 to 43.9 square meters, and duplex suites of 60.9 to 88.9 square meters, covering shared, solo, and family living needs, all fully furnished. Rents comply with affordable rental housing regulations, about 10% lower than comparable market-rate properties. Meituan further subsidizes bed fees from 68 to 144 yuan per month and fully covers property management and trash disposal costs. Utilities are at residential rates, hot water is available 24/7, and dedicated non-motorized vehicle parking and centralized electric bike charging stations address riders' frequent needs for parking and recharging.

The first-floor common area serves as a "Warm Station" and is also designated as a party building guidance station for new employment groups. Within days of opening, the initial batch of rooms was fully booked. Fan Mingxin noted that his parents occasionally visit Chengdu, and previously, accommodations were inconvenient. Now, with warm guest rooms, they can stay closer and more comfortably. In 2025, Jinniu District pioneered a "single bed" pilot project, the first in the city, managing 356 beds with a 92% occupancy rate. With the arrival of the "Rider Apartment · Jiaozi Jingyu," housing security is now expanding from "a single bed" to "a single room" and even "an entire apartment."