Team ReadMe
The ongoing fuel crisis has crippled many sectors in Sri Lanka with hours-long queues for refueling becoming a common occurrence all across the country. Among these many affected sectors include delivery services where the lack of fuel has made it near impossible to carry out the typical service offerings. As such, Uber Eats Sri Lanka has sought to deploy bicycle delivery riders as a means of tackling the situation.
Announcing the move, Nadun Kodikara, Head of Delivery & Marketplace Operations at Uber Eats Sri Lanka, states that users will start seeing bicycle rider partners on Uber Eats starting next week. He further mentions that this comes “as a solution to the long wait times at petrol queues that will last for a few months as we predict.”
Will bicycle delivery be the new normal?
Of course, the idea of food delivery via bicycles isn’t new. In fact, it’s how many other markets operate today. Whether it’s the US, Europe, or other South Asian regions, bicycle food delivery has become common practice. One reason for this is the need for a sustainable solution amidst a massively growing industry. McKinsey notes that food delivery has become a $150 billion market globally and has tripled in value since 2017. Thereby, bicycles contribute to this scaling factor.
Unfortunately, this hasn’t been the case for Sri Lanka for a number of reasons. For instance, the country has little to no infrastructure set up to accommodate cycling as a viable mode of transport, particularly in highly urbanized areas. The lack of dedicated cycling lanes, unsafe road conditions, along with the typical hot weather makes for a troublesome combination, to say the least.
However, the current lack of fuel and the context of the economic crisis means that the usual mode of transport for delivery is no longer viable. As such, bicycles offer a functional alternative to mitigate the shortcomings of the delivery services industry, especially for communities that are dependent on services like Uber Eats.
“We are pleased to be the first delivery platform in Sri Lanka to introduce cycles for delivery. We have received an overwhelming response to our pilot launch in Colombo and plan to expand this to other cities in the coming weeks,” says Uber Sri Lanka General Manager Bhavna Dadlani Jayawardena speaking to ReadMe about the announcement. Jayawardena also states that while delivery partners will be getting bicycles on their own, Uber Sri Lanka will be facilitating flexible payment schemes via local partnerships for those in need of assistance in procuring them.
“We are confident that this will not only open up earning opportunities to a subset that cannot afford a motorcycle or e-bikes but also act as a mode that is more accessible. Cycles on Uber Eats will promote sustainable delivery methods in the long run and strengthen our supply network to continue supporting our merchant partners and providing a reliable experience to our customers,” his statement reads further.
[May 20, 2022] Editor’s note: Article has been updated with comments from Uber Sri Lanka
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