In the UAE, it has long been possible to have more or less anything you want brought direct to your door. However, the steady rise of centralised online ordering platforms has changed the home-delivery landscape. Now, instead of relying on your favourite local falafel joint for dinner, whole cities have become our personal a la carte menus. Businesses such as Zomato, Talabat and Deliveroo are all about the consumer – quick, efficient and largely hassle-free. The service they offer has become such an integral part of our lives that we now take it for granted. However, a short drive on any of the nation's highways offers a reminder that there are people behind the user-friendly interfaces – in this case, the noble heroes who, astride scooters and motorbikes, do battle every day with trucks, traffic jams and scorching heat to make our mealtimes better.
Theirs is a difficult job, and some of us are not making it any easier. Yesterday, The National spoke to a group of delivery riders about their work. By the very nature of their vehicles, these men are far more vulnerable than other road users, a fact underlined by the 17 motorcyclists who lost their lives on UAE roads last year. The riders detailed aggressive overtaking, dangerous manoeuvres and even hit-and-run accidents as part and parcel of doing their jobs. A recent survey has shown that 77 per cent have experienced motorists dangerously cutting in front of them and that 66 per cent believe that drivers view them with disdain.
Drivers have, of course, responded defensively, taking to social media to produce a laundry list of counter claims against riders. However, the main problem may not be out on the roads. Around the world, delivery riders complain of strict targets and the often unrealistic expectation of customers that their meals should arrive piping hot, moments after they have ordered them. Fear of complaint can drive riders to take risks they would never normally consider. Perhaps it is time that these pressures were eased at corporate level, and that consumers take a moment to put things in perspective and consider the safety of those who serve them. That, after all, is far more important than any burger and fries.
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: BorrowMe (BorrowMe.com)
Date started: August 2021
Founder: Nour Sabri
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce / Marketplace
Size: Two employees
Funding stage: Seed investment
Initial investment: $200,000
Investors: Amr Manaa (director, PwC Middle East)
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
OIL PLEDGE
At the start of Russia's invasion, IEA member countries held 1.5 billion barrels in public reserves and about 575 million barrels under obligations with industry, according to the agency's website. The two collective actions of the IEA this year of 62.7 million barrels, which was agreed on March 1, and this week's 120 million barrels amount to 9 per cent of total emergency reserves, it added.
The biog
Hobbies: Salsa dancing “It's in my blood” and listening to music in different languages
Favourite place to travel to: “Thailand, as it's gorgeous, food is delicious, their massages are to die for!”
Favourite food: “I'm a vegetarian, so I can't get enough of salad.”
Favourite film: “I love watching documentaries, and am fascinated by nature, animals, human anatomy. I love watching to learn!”
Best spot in the UAE: “I fell in love with Fujairah and anywhere outside the big cities, where I can get some peace and get a break from the busy lifestyle”
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Bio:
Favourite Quote: Prophet Mohammad's quotes There is reward for kindness to every living thing and A good man treats women with honour
Favourite Hobby: Serving poor people
Favourite Book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite food: Fish and vegetables
Favourite place to visit: London
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
SPECS
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SPECS
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million