A number of concerned Dubai residents have flooded Lovin DMs to report delivery boys arriving on foot to deliver orders, in the midday heat.

Especially in the Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT) area, many delivery heroes have been spotted walking with big containers, on foot. This is an unusual sight for many customers as typically delivery drivers commute on bikes, but a number of residents spotted delivery people walking, cycling, and even taking the Metro to reach destinations.

Residents raised alarm bells, concerned about the health risks involved in walking around outdoors in the intense summer heat and a Lovin Dubai reader reached out to us to share an incident where the delivery boy reached with her order “drenched and out of breath”…

One concerned Dubai resident explained how they made the discovery

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A talabat representative confirmed that there are a number of walkers involved in a pilot project

We reached out to the online food ordering company, talabat who confirmed a number of drivers are walking and cycling to deliveries. However, they noted this is a pilot project. It’s for delivery people who do not have a licence, it involves a small number of drivers and they are accepting feedback.

We recently introduced talabat cyclists and walkers as a pilot project due to increased demand by candidates who are eager to work within the delivery sector but do not possess motorbike or car licenses. This project is in its development stage with a small number of delivery cyclists and walkers and we are in the process of collecting feedback to make improvements.

talabat representative

In one instance, a delivery boy explained the order delay by sharing that he’s walking, thus it’s taking him time

When the customer reached out to her delivery agent because of the order delay, he informed her about his commute, to which she took up with the delivery platform’s customer chat support.

Upon speaking to the agent via chat, the customer confirmed that there was no explanation for the driver being made to walk around in the heat

*Names have been blocked to maintain the anonymity of the customer.

talabat’s confirmed talabat walkers are on hold and will be reintroduced later in the year 

Based on the data received so far, we decided to put talabat walkers on hold during the summer and re-introduce them later in the year, while talabat cyclists will continue delivering within short range distance – limited at 1.3km and averaging at 600 meters, and in the vicinity of restaurant clusters located in high density areas.

In addition to air conditioned resting areas being rolled-out across the emirates for all our riders, our cyclists are equally free to choose their shifts based on their convenience and are provided with cooling vests and towels with other equipment underway.

talabat informed us that they have “introduced walkers and cyclists… as it has a positive economic impact by providing employment opportunities to candidates who do not own bike or car licenses.”

We have introduced walkers and cyclists in response to increased demand for these roles and it has a positive economic impact by providing employment opportunities to candidates who do not own bike or car licenses.

The deliver service concluded by adding that they are making efforts to adopt carbon neutral delivery solutions and practices:

talabat is one of the few food delivery companies in the region to officially introduce cyclists and walkers as part of our ongoing sustainability efforts to adopt carbon neutral delivery solutions and practices, as well as supporting the economies we operate in by providing new employment opportunities for the growing manpower.

 

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*Feature images have been used for illustrative purposes only.