Delivery drivers dodge debris to keep Gulf fed under Iranian attacks

Food delivery riders work in downtown in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Photo / Getty Images

As air raid sirens wail and explosions echo off glass skyscrapers, Gulf delivery drivers have emerged as unlikely heroes, providing a lifeline to frightened residents sheltering from Iranian attacks.

Airports, embassies, residential areas and military installations across the region have come under fire from daily salvos of Iranian missiles and drones since the war between the Islamic Republic and Israel and the US broke out.

While weaving through Gulf metropolises’ traffic was never entirely safe, delivery drivers now face danger from the skies with the risk of falling debris from drones and interceptors.

Nonetheless, thousands of couriers on motorcycles have been working full throttle to ensure food, home supplies and whatever else a customer might need is available with the tap of an app.

During the war’s first hours, Agyemang Ata was in a mall in Dubai, waiting for an order when the first explosions rang out, but the 27-year-old has no plans to leave.

“My mom, sister and family have been calling me but I told them I am OK, they don’t need to worry about me,” Ata told AFP.

“I will stay here and work. Dubai is a safe place for me.”

To most residents, drivers like Ata were just an anonymous army keeping the hassles of daily life at bay – and to some, another traffic hazard on already busy streets.

Now, however, people are heralding their vital role, with many on social media describing them as “heroes” risking their lives to keep the Gulf running.

Further north in Kuwait, driver Walid Rabie said the fear was constant.

“We carry our lives along with the orders,” he told AFP.

At least seven civilians have been killed in the Gulf since Iran began its attacks – many of them foreign labourers, who make up a large part of the region’s workforce.

Washington said six US service members have also been killed, four of them in Kuwait.

‘I have struggled’

The UAE has seen a disproportionate number of attacks, with the Ministry of Defence saying authorities have worked to intercept more than 900 drones and about 200 missiles fired at their territory.

“I’m afraid, I won’t lie,” said Franklin, a delivery driver in Dubai.

The need to earn a living outweighs other anxieties over the war, but maintaining his regular pace has been difficult under the new circumstances, and the number of orders has dropped.

“Before, I used to complete between 10 and 15 orders a day,” he explained. “But since this started, I have struggled to get even eight.”

The life of the drivers cuts a stark contrast to the region’s numerous influencers on social media, who have continued to party during the war, or to the city’s well-heeled expats, some of whom have dropped six figures on chartered flights out of neighbouring countries to escape.

In Bahrain, where the sounds of explosions have continued for a sixth day, a foreign worker at a food delivery company said the situation was worrying at first but he has begun to get used to it – especially since he needs the job.

“I go out to work almost every day. I follow the news and hope the crisis will end,” said Ajit Arun, 32.

“We take precautions while driving, especially when the sirens sound.”

Across the Gulf, governments have implored their citizens and residents to avoid posting misinformation about the war and rely on official channels for news.

Others have sought to present an image of normality.

UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan walked with his massive entourage through Dubai Mall pausing for an occasional selfie.

But on the city’s streets, the reality of war weighed heavily, casting questions for some over future plans to stay in the Gulf.

“If things continue like this, I cannot risk my life,” said Franklin. “It would be better for me to return to my country.”

-Agence France-Presse