Dubai: Delivery services are a hugely popular, and and essential aspect of every day life in the UAE and hundreds of delivery men move around the city’s roads every hour transporting food, packages and other items.
These delivery men, who sometimes transport items even after midnight, such as food, are often at the mercy of customers’ feedback, given that they need to ensure the item reaches the recipient in the shortest possible time despite traffic congestion and restaurants’ food preparation times, the factors which are not in their control.
Placing them under the spotlight was a recent announcement by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) that laid out new restrictions regarding dimensions of storage boxes on motorbikes.
The regulation will come into effect in June and specifies that the boxes be no more than 50x50x50cm in dimension.
According to the new negulation motorbike deliverymen have to adhere to the new specifications for the storage boxes attached to their motorbikes.
In 2016, 824 motorbike traffic offences took place, resulting in 26 fatalities.
Gulf News spoke to three deliverymen of Deliveroo, a company that employs 400 employees about the challenges they face during their daily work.
Mohammad Asif Ramazan, 26, from Pakistan
I start my 12-hour duty at 11am. I wake up at 9am, and after breakfast, get into my uniform and head out to my zone in Arabian Ranches on my motor bike. I log into the driver app, which shows that I am active and on duty, and also at my starting point. There are usually several drivers in each zone, and each driver is assigned to one [delivery] order at a time. I pick up orders from restaurants and deliver them to customers. In this job, we are always on the road, riding in the thick of Dubai traffic. So my message to customers would be that when we collect the food from a restaurant, we do our best to get it to them in the quickest possible time. When we are questioned on being late, I believe it is because customers are not really aware of the various factors we have to go through while on the road. Sometimes the delay is because of the restaurant [that dispatches the food parcel]. Delivery times also depend on the traffic situation, and since most of our customers drive, they would know what it is like to be stuck in traffic. We get frustrated when customers don’t pick up the phone or answer the door, and when we get wrong addresses. Overall, I do enjoy my job, and have made good friends with other delivery men. We take our breaks together before we start the second shift of the day. I work six times a week and in my free time, I love to read horror fiction.”
Ace Rauchez Estarillo, 34, from the Philippines
I feel like I am an action star, riding my motor bike on the job. It gives me a thrill. I start my day by skyping with my wife in the Philippines. Then I have my breakfast and head to the Deira area. I log into the app and wait for my first order. I receive the restaurant’s name, and then I swipe again on the app after I collect the food and receive the customer’s address. Food delivery is very critical — we deliver one order at a time, to avoid the risk of the food getting cold. If for some reason I deliver the food late, I always apologise to the customer for the inconvenience, and assure them that I will deliver it faster the next time. If I could send a message to customers, I would want them to know that we do whatever it takes to deliver food as fast as we can, and we would appreciate their patience and consideration if we are late because of traffic. Of course, we do not like to be yelled at. I usually end my day with a quick Skype session with my family. On the weekend, during my free time, I play many sports, and especially basketball, and I enjoy watching movies.
Mohammad Sajjid, 28, from Pakistan
What I like most about my job is that I am not answerable to anyone — I am my own boss. I wake up, have some breakfast, and head to Dubai Marina to cover my zone. I log onto the app and wait for my first delivery, and answer all requests through the swiping system on the app. I do not usually get any bad reactions from customers, they are always in a pleasant mood, because we deliver the food in around 30 minutes — always on time. If we have issues like an accident, other drivers will come and pick up the food and take it to the delivery address. During my lunch break, I usually enjoy a traditional meal with other drivers in the area, who have become my friends. I really enjoy my job and like delivering, but of course, I am always on the lookout for the opportunity to work in an office. On the weekends, I usually call my family back in Pakistan, to catch up with them. I also hang out with other delivery men and one of them has become my close friends.
