Chao News client reporter Zhang Ran Shi Xiongfeng.
In the early morning of February 3, less than a week before the Chinese New Year's Eve of the Year of the Dragon.
It is customary to call this day a small year.
The "noodle manager" noodle shop on Hushu South Road in Hangzhou is still open, waiting for the arrival of a special ** peak.
The noodle restaurant provides free meals to the driving brother Photo by Zhang Ran.
The light rain was dripping, and the driving boys entered the store one after another, with raindrops still hanging on their clothes. After registering at the door to receive the meal coupon, some people ordered a bowl of braised chicken nuggets to cover the rice, and some people asked for a bowl of pork ribs noodles, and the meal was served quickly.
Stay until 1 a.m., and it's rare to return to this group of people calmly.
At that time, the number of orders on the platform became smaller, and they finally had time to slow down.
The raindrops on the clothes of the substitute driver were taken by Zhang Ran.
These meals that are launched in the late night hours are the benefits that Didi Chuxing provides to the drivers for free. From mid-to-late December 2023, Didi Driver will launch the "Night Canteen" driver winter care activity in 240 cities across the country, every week.
On fourth, fifth, and sixth days, as long as you go to the noodle shop or night snack stall cooperated by the platform, the driving masters can eat a customized ** for free.
At the height of the night's cafeteria, most of the people in the city were asleep.
On the day of Chinese New Year's Eve, in the hot air, Chao News reporters recorded the year of several substitute driving brothers.
Take the time to rush inReplenish energy
As soon as the order comes, throw down the chopsticks and go
Plum vegetables roasted pork rice bowl is the most popular photo by Zhang Ran.
Some of the substitute drivers we met in the "noodle manager" noodle shop have opened small shops, some have worked, and some have a job with a monthly salary of nearly 10,000 yuan. But when the clock points to the middle of the night, no matter how beautiful it was or during the day, they have only one identity at night, the substitute driver.
The deeper the night, the more drivers there are in the noodle shop. In a small store, even if you don't know each other, you can smile and talk to each other.
Among the four kinds of customized driving masters provided by the platform for free, the most popular is the roasted pork rice bowl with plum vegetables with Jiangsu and Zhejiang characteristics. "This is the best, don't give it to me. "、Plum vegetables roast meat is not fast, if it's not fast, give me another one.。 "Inside the store, there is a lot of discussion about the roasted pork bowl with umeboshi vegetables.
Xiao Wu chose a bowl of braised chicken nuggets to carry the hunger and topped the rice. He came out and completed 5 orders in 4 hours, two of which were big orders, and went to Chongxian and Banshan. But he is still a little dissatisfied with this performance, "Chinese New Year's Eve should receive more orders."
The white-haired driver Xiao Wu was taken by Zhang Ran.
A large list of kilometers long is good. "Xiao Wu loves to take orders to Lao Yuhang, Chongxian and other places, and send one trip to the starting price. The only inconvenience is that you need to stop some taxis and hitchhike back on the way back. "Last time in Xiaoshan Yiqiao, a kind master took me back to Binjiang by car, and I only spent 10 yuan. ”
Xiao Wu Gan has been driving for three years, and his perennial working hours are from half past seven in the evening to three or four in the morning the next day. The habit of staying up late has put a burden on his body, and at the age of 37, there are already a lot of gray hair.
37-year-old Xiao Wu checked the order while eating Photo by Zhang Ran.
No way, this line of work is all about staying up late to make money, and there is a lot of demand for orders before and after the Chinese New Year, and I will extend my business hours. Just like the previous two years, Xiao Wu does not plan to return to his hometown in Hubei for the New Year this year, "During the Chinese New Year, there can be an average of more than 500 harvests in one night. ”
In between waiting for orders, Xiao Wu will come to the late-night cafeteria to eat a bowl of rice. This was the only moment when he was "not so nervous" in the night of continuous order grabbing. He would turn his head and ask his peers at the next table about the night's performance.
The chicken leg that was too late to eat Photo by Zhang Ran.
An urgent order came, Xiao Wu didn't even have time to eat the chicken legs on the plate, left the table and rushed out of the door, riding while **, and disappeared into the vast rainy night.
Each substitute driver has its own pressures and concerns
They're all trying to get over it
When a full-time substitute driver grabs an order, a part-time substitute driver is not easy.
The substitute drivers are eating in the store Photo by Zhang Ran.
When Xiao Wu rushed to the sixth order, the part-time substitute driver Ah Ding was even more "rolled", and he had completed six orders and sat in the noodle restaurant to rest. Adin's schedule is superhuman, working from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. at night, and until 2 a.m. on weekends.
Adin, who came to live in Hangzhou from Jiangsu, has two daughters. "The two children spend more than 100,000 yuan a year, what can I do if I don't work part-time. Adin has been driving part-time for three years, and although the increase in income is not much, at least it gives the small family some more breathing space.
Adin is eating supper Photo by Zhang Ran.
Adin rarely eats late-night snacks, and is always worried that staying up late and eating irregularly will make his body worse. Sometimes I'm too hungry to come into the store and eat a little. He said that the driving profession is very tiring and has made his body suffer a lot, but he will continue to work part-time for at least another three years.
In order to cross a hurdle. Adin had a calm expression and said that he would work hard until the day he hoped would come.
Didi Driver** and Adin have similar part-time experience. In May last year, ** changed from a part-time master to a full-time job, he resigned from his previous job with a low salary and was far away from home, ** felt that this career choice was quite correct, and after a full-time substitute driver, he finally got his son out of school at times.
* The 44-year-old thinks his body can handle it if he finishes work at two or three o'clock in the morning, but if he stays up until dawn, "no matter how much he sleeps during the day, he still can't bear it." ”
Sometimes, you will meet some guests who have drunk too much. Sometimes you can't take a day off in a month. These details will make this middle-aged man from the system feel frustrated and tired, and he can't remember how long he hasn't eaten with his family and friends at night: "Today's Chinese New Year's Eve, I still don't have time to go out and have a good meal with my family." ”
Busy back photo by Zhang Ran.
The substitute drivers are replenishing their energy. Photo by Zhang Ran.
Perhaps, it is a hurdle that life must overcome. * Reconciled with himself quickly, he said that after thinking about it, he made a lot of substitute driving friends, and chatted happily, probably another kind of gain.
I hope to earn more money in the new year.
The "Companion Canteen" lights up their smiles
I hope to earn more money in the new year. When asked about New Year's resolutions, many substitute drivers gave almost the same answer.
A substitute driver who lives in Linping once mentioned that after the order is over, the main problem faced is how to get home from the passenger's drop-off point. In order to save money, he was reluctant to take a taxi. "I ride folding bikes, under normal circumstances, it takes an hour, rain and snow, it takes nearly one and a half hours, and sometimes I can ride home at dawn. ”
The Chao News reporter learned from "Didi Chuxing" that 2024 is the second consecutive year that Didi Driver will carry out the "Night Canteen" activity in winter. At present, it has covered 240 cities, including Harbin, Ordos, Qingdao, Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Xi'an and Guangzhou. On the way back or waiting for a ride, the chefs can go to the nearest partner merchant with a "companion canteen" poster and erection sign at the door, and eat a bowl of hot noodle soup with chicken thighs and eggs.
The "Companion Night Canteen" is generally open until around 2 a.m., and the Didi platform will also select local delicacies with a city flavor for the chefs according to local characteristics.
The drivers received the tickets for the meal Photo by Zhang Ran.
In response to the problem of the return of substitute drivers, in some cities such as Beijing, during the night rush hour, the platform sets up multiple mobile shuttle supply buses to pick up drivers on fixed routes to return to hot spots or return trips. During parking, the driver can enter the car at any time to warm up and rest, charge mobile phones and other electronic devices. Snacks and drinks such as bread, eggs, ginger soup and hot water are provided in the food truck.
Long-distance cycling has always been a pain point for substitute drivers. Since June 2023, Didi has piloted the "drop-in order" function in some cities, and has now been launched in more than 40 cities across the country, including Beijing, Harbin, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Hangzhou.
Continue to set off and continue to rush Photo by Zhang Ran.
In this scenario, the masters can set their home or an area close to home as the end point of the stop through the driver's app. After the master turns on the single-wish switch, the platform will only assign orders from the starting point to the end point, and the driver can return at the same time as completing the order.
The relevant person in charge of Didi said that the substitute driver is the guardian of the city's night, and the platform hopes to do its best to protect each substitute driver. "Outdoor work in winter is very hard, and we hope to provide them with convenience in these ways, so that the chefs can feel more at ease and feel the warmth of the city in a bowl of hot noodles. ”
*Please indicate the source".