JD.com Moves Into Full-Time Delivery Riders in Hong Kong. Perfect timing to Trial E-Bikes?

JD.com is launching a full-time food delivery rider business in Hong Kong. So why not trial it with e-bikes?

This is a major boost to the city’s online food business, and to the growing number of production kitchens, satellite kitchens, ghost kitchens, and virtual brands popping up across the market.

JD Logistics is now moving from a subsidiary-based trial to a full-time fleet of delivery riders. Reports suggest they already have over 120,000 full-time riders on their staff register.

To put that in perspective, market giant Meituan reportedly has around 7 million riders but it is important to remember that not all of those riders are on motorcycles. In Hong Kong, motorcycles are currently the “only” viable way to ensure both speed and reliability for time-sensitive food deliveries.

This becomes interesting when you consider that some local operators, including the Black Sheep group, scrapped their delivery fleets. The way many of these riders are compensated also raises concerns, leading to potential system abuse by unscrupulous middlemen or platforms.

Having full-time riders properly licensed, insured, and legally employed under Hong Kong law is a positive step. It improves public safety and protects the riders themselves from exploitation.

But I see a bigger opportunity on the table.

In many cities around the world, especially those with dense urban layouts like Hong Kong, e-bikes are already proving to be the most efficient, low-emission, fast, and cost-effective way to move food across town.

So here’s a practical idea. Why not allow holders of motorcycle licenses in Hong Kong to operate insured e-bikes under a government-approved trial program?

Rolling out a few hundred licensed and authorised e-bikes wouldn’t be difficult. Insurance could follow the same model used for low-capacity motorcycles under 50cc in other jurisdictions. If power output or top speed is a concern, those limits can be regulated just as they are elsewhere.

If Hong Kong wants to move quickly, and if JD Logistics is ready to scale fast with full-time employees and a well-resourced team, this could be the moment to act. It’s environmentally responsible, it avoids clogging our roads, and it promotes safety and legality across the system.

It is, in every way, a win-win for Hong Kong.

If JD.com what’s to give me a call or of the Govt wants to call : I’m here to help make it happen.

If you need specific input regarding a strategic Hong Kong challenge or related legal matters in the HKSAR you can always DM me and check out my profile at https://www.ajhalkes.com

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