Keeta Drone partners with the Hong Kong Youth Service to launch a drone delivery service for elderly meal delivery in Ting Kau Village

As the buzzing sound of mechanical propellers cuts through the sky above Ting Kau Village in Tai Po, a Keeta Drone (Meituan drone) carrying symbolic "Poon Choi" dishes took off from Hong Kong Science Park during the New Year period and landed at the designated take-off and landing point at the entrance of Ting Kau Village. At the "Ting Kau Village Xie Tian Gong Birthday and New Year Gathering," the Meituan drone delivery demonstration not only added a technological touch to the traditional festival but also marked the official trial launch of the "Tai Po Ting Kau Village Drone Route" in collaboration with Keeta Drone and the Hong Kong Children and Youth Services (HKCYS). The route aims to effectively utilize low-altitude logistics technology to address the challenges of "long distances, manpower shortages, and long waiting times" in meal delivery services for elderly residents in remote rural areas, allowing elderly individuals living alone to enjoy hot meals more quickly. At the same time, it reduces the travel time for frontline and professional staff, transforming "rushed deliveries" into "warm companionship." Technology Empowering Social Welfare Shortening the Waiting Time for "Elderly Meal Delivery Services" The aging population issue in Hong Kong is becoming increasingly severe, and home care support in rural areas faces numerous challenges. The Hong Kong Children and Youth Services (HKCYS) has long been responsible for meal delivery services for the elderly in the Tai Po district; however, villages like Ting Kau are located in remote areas, and the traditional model relies on staff driving from Tai Po city to deliver meals one by one. Limited by road traffic congestion and scarce manpower and vehicle resources, the efficiency of meal delivery is difficult to significantly improve. It is understood that there are still many eligible elderly individuals on the waiting list for meal delivery services in the area, with some elderly residents having to wait for several years to be arranged for service. The drone route launched by Meituan in Hong Kong departs from Science Park directly to Ting Kau Village, utilizing the advantage of aerial straight-line distance to avoid ground traffic congestion, significantly reducing the original travel time of over one and a half hours to about 10 minutes. In the initial trial phase of the route, it is planned to provide lunch and dinner delivery services from Monday to Saturday (excluding public holidays). From "Delivering Meals" to "Delivering Warmth" New Year Poon Choi Feast Witnesses a Historic Moment The event coincided with the annual New Year gathering in Ting Kau Village, creating a lively atmosphere on-site. In the presence of the village chief and over a thousand villagers, the drone slowly descended, and the village chief received a model of the Poon Choi delivered by the drone, symbolizing the perfect combination of traditional culture and modern innovative technology. Mr. Li Yuen Hei, the village chief of Ting Kau Village, stated, "I never thought drones could help deliver meals; this is definitely good news for the elderly living alone in the village. Technological advancements can help those in need, and our entire village fully supports this." "What the drone delivers is not just a box of hot meals, but also a focus on the quality of life for the elderly," said Ms. Li Yuen Sum, the Executive Director of the Hong Kong Children and Youth Services, at the event. In the past, frontline and professional staff spent a lot of time traveling back and forth to the village, and keeping meals warm was also a significant challenge. With the introduction of drones, a model of "drone air transport + manual relay" is adopted—drones handle long-distance transportation, and colleagues only need to focus on the last hundred meters of home delivery after receiving the meals at the village entrance. This not only ensures that the elderly receive hotter meals but, more importantly, allows colleagues to spend more time chatting with the elderly and paying attention to their physical and mental health, achieving truly high-quality companionship Keeta Drone partners with the Hong Kong Youth Service to launch drone delivery service for meals to the elderly in Ting Kau Village Responding to the Development of the Low-altitude Economy Exploring Practical Application Scenarios of the "Regulatory Sandbox" As an important practice in the development of Hong Kong's low-altitude economy, this route is also a highly practical application case under the "regulatory sandbox" pilot project of Keeta Drone in Hong Kong. Ms. Yan Yan, head of Keeta Drone's Hong Kong operations, stated that this route demonstrates that the low-altitude economy can effectively address social livelihood pain points. Conducting regular deliveries in complex rural environments fully showcases the technical stability of Keeta Drone. In the future, there are hopes to expand this model to more communities with similar needs, exploring more possibilities for delivering medications and daily necessities, contributing to the construction of a smart city in Hong Kong