Panadol and Careem offer a summer lifeline to UAE’s delivery riders

The UAE summer is relentless — scorching temperatures and stifling humidity drive most residents indoors, seeking refuge in the comfort of air conditioning. But thousands of riders work tirelessly during this season to deliver food and groceries to customers.

In temperatures above 40°C, they ride 250-300km on average daily, making at least 30-35 trips. Last year, from May to October, these heroes delivered five million orders made on UAE apps – all with minimal to no access to hydration.

Relief for the Relentless

That’s why Panadol has launched its Relief for the Relentless initiative this summer. The company has partnered with Careem, as well as select cloud kitchens, such as Rebel Foods, Epik Foods, and Kaykroo, to provide bottled water to delivery riders across the UAE.

The idea behind the initiative is simple: with every order placed, a bottle of water is handed to the rider, in a small but powerful gesture aimed at providing relief during the city’s intense heat.

A rider out in this heat can lose one to two litres of sweat every single hour. As temperatures rise above 45°C during the hottest hours of the day, dehydration can cause headaches and migraines. This is due to excessive loss of fluids and electrolytes impairing blood volume and oxygen flow to the brain. Overexposure to heat causes blood vessels to dilate, often triggering tension or migraine-type headaches.

It's fitting then that this initiative has been undertaken by Panadol, a company synonymous with pain relief. In doing so, Panadol has gone from being merely a product on the shelf to actively seeking to provide relief to these delivery heroes through the summer months.

Not just food but also grocery

This is no small undertaking. The daily order count at these cloud kitchens – primarily based in Dubai, but also spread out in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah – is between 1,300 and 1,500. But Panadol hasn’t stopped there. It has gone beyond kitchens to include grocery fulfillment locations in the initiative.

Utilising Careem Quik, the Relief for the Relentless programme has expanded its distribution to a network of grocery warehouses, with water bottles being offered to delivery heroes carrying out high-density grocery orders throughout the day.

In sum, thousands of bottles of water are being distributed to delivery riders with pickup under the Relief for the Relentless initiative this summer. But perhaps the most powerful outcome is that the initiative has shone a light on the quiet struggle of riders who make the lives of UAE residents a little easier every day, and in doing so, has hopefully made them feel a little more seen and appreciated.

It’s a reminder that sometimes even the smallest acts of humanity can leave the biggest impact.