Earn extra income in Dubai: Amazon launches on-foot delivery program

Dubai: Dubai residents have a new way to earn extra income by delivering Amazon packages on foot in densely populated areas of the emirate.

On August 27, Dubai Future Foundation and Amazon UAE announced the launch of an innovative programme that allows individuals to take part in the gig economy by handling on-foot deliveries to customers.

The pilot programme with Amazon UAE provides opportunities for individuals and small business owners to earn additional and flexible income. By focusing on on-foot delivery services in high-density areas across Dubai, it also helps people make better use of idle working hours while enabling businesses to scale more efficiently.

This initiative supports Dubai's commitment to pioneering new practices and offering residents alternative income streams.

The new delivery model is expected to cut down reliance on vehicles, easing traffic congestion and lowering carbon emissions. This directly contributes to Dubai’s long-term sustainability goals while ensuring faster, more efficient last-mile delivery in crowded neighbourhoods.

The programme follows Amazon’s agreement to join the Dubai Future Foundation’s Sandbox Dubai initiative under the Gig Economy sector. The initiative was approved by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Dubai Future Foundation.

Sandbox Dubai is a major transformational project within Dubai’s Economic Agenda (D33), which aims to double the emirate's economy within the next decade and establish it among the world’s top three economic cities.

Sandbox Dubai serves as a centralised and innovative platform offering a structured approach to regulatory modernisation. It enables innovators and companies to test new products, services, and business models under adaptive regulatory supervision.

According to sandboxdubai.gov.ae, the 'Gig Economy Sandbox' explores flexible ways of working for Dubai residents while shaping regulatory frameworks in key industries to ensure future readiness.

The initiative is creating pioneering regulations to expand gig work opportunities that are currently limited. By developing a more flexible legal framework, it aims to empower businesses to hire on-demand workers and give freelancers the ability to operate with greater ease.

As the collaboration between Dubai Future Foundation and Amazon UAE is still in its early stages, details on how individuals can sign up have not yet been released.

Amazon UAE currently operates a logistics website through its Delivery Service Partner (DSP) programme. However, this is specifically designed for entrepreneurs who want to launch a delivery business with Amazon, rather than for individual gig workers.