Campaign ensures parcels reach remote doorsteps

Parcels are reaching more villages in Shigatse, Xizang autonomous region, without residents having to pay extra pickup fees, following action by prosecutors and postal authorities in response to complaints about irregular last-mile delivery practices.

The Shigatse People's Procuratorate received reports late last year that some township supermarkets serving as parcel collection points were charging unauthorized pickup fees. Some express delivery companies were also failing to deliver parcels to the addresses provided by customers, leaving them instead at collection points in townships.

Field investigations by prosecutors found that some companies had failed to clearly publicize their service areas, reduced delivery coverage without authorization or failed to deliver to remote areas as required.

Shi Huijuan, director of the procuratorate's seventh procuratorial department, said these practices increased the burden on farmers and herders, infringed on consumers' rights and disrupted the local delivery market.

Shigatse covers more than 180,000 square kilometers, has an average elevation of over 4,000 meters and includes nine border counties. Its vast territory and scattered settlements make reliable delivery services particularly important to residents' daily lives and public safety.

In response, the city's procuratorate coordinated a citywide inspection of express delivery outlets and parcel collection points. The postal administration subsequently launched a special rectification campaign and summoned the heads of seven delivery companies, requiring them to clarify their service areas, delivery standards and charging rules.

The companies were required to publicize their service areas and fees and were prohibited from accepting parcels for destinations they could not serve without completing delivery. Companies found to have violated operating rules were subject to administrative penalties.

Huang Xungang, head of the city's postal administration, said parcels addressed to villages must be delivered to the villages. Village committees can temporarily store parcels and help distribute them to local residents, while delivery services are provided free of charge.

Postal workers generally deliver parcels to villages five times a week and will make a trip even if there is only one parcel, Huang said. During peak periods, a village can receive 30 to 40 parcels a day.

For locations that commercial couriers cannot reach, parcels can be transferred to the postal network for final delivery. Follow-up inspections this year found that services had improved, Shi said, with villagers reporting that parcels that once stopped at township centers could now reach their villages.

The procuratorate and postal administration have also established a long-term coordination mechanism covering information sharing, joint inspections, case referrals and consultations.

The latest effort builds on earlier scrutiny of delivery safety. In 2023, prosecutors identified weaknesses at some delivery outlets in real-name parcel acceptance, inspection of items, security screening, personal information protection and workplace safety. Authorities subsequently tightened inspection procedures, promoted privacy-protected waybills and strengthened routine checks.

Governance efforts have also extended to delivery workers in Lhasa. In 2024, prosecutors in Doilungdechen district found widespread problems involving unlicensed drivers and drivers holding licenses that did not match their vehicles after handling a dangerous-driving case involving a food delivery rider.

A review of 150 food delivery workers found that 87.3 percent lacked the required license or held a license that did not match the vehicle they drove. The figure was 87.5 percent among 88 express delivery workers surveyed.

The findings prompted mixed reactions among riders. Some considered changing jobs out of concern over potential legal consequences, while others decided to obtain motorcycle licenses.

Prosecutors in the district subsequently issued recommendations to platform companies to strengthen recruitment checks, safety training and daily supervision. They also worked with local departments and driving schools to offer riders discounted fees and more convenient ways to obtain licenses.

One year into the campaign, the proportion of properly licensed food delivery riders had risen by 42 percent, while traffic violations, including running red lights and driving against traffic, had fallen sharply, according to local prosecutors.

Officials said challenges remain, particularly for some riders who have difficulty taking written driving tests.

Prosecutors said they would continue working with relevant departments to address these difficulties and reduce safety risks across the delivery sector.