PUDONG police are using mobile technology to tackle traffic violations committed by food delivery men.

The police launched a mobile phone application yesterday to record food couriers’ traffic violation records — the next stage after a paper card system was launched in May.

If a courier is caught with a traffic violation, the police officer will not only issue a penalty on site, but also mark a record of the offense on the system.

Every traffic police officer and food delivery operator in the Pudong New Area will be required to install the application, and more than 3,000 couriers have already done so.

“Police officers can simply scan the offender’s QR code on phone if they spot a violation,” said Zhu Rongxue, an officer with the local traffic police.

“Every violation will be counted in the system, and offenders with multiple records will have to learn traffic regulations online, or do volunteer service on roads.”

The police said every registered rider has a 12-point quota for every three months. Running a red light, for example, will be marked as a six-point offense, and riding a scooter on sidewalks is a three-point misdemeanor.

The district police launched the system in cooperation with food delivery companies including Meituan and ele.me.

“Though the measure is not compulsory for companies, we will be very cooperative with the police in carrying out the new system,” said Wang Xinchen, a manger with Meituan’s safety management department.

“We decided to develop the digital system as problems began to pop up after the paper system was put into operation,” said Zhu. “Some couriers would claim to have lost the cards to avoid the punishment.”