E-commerce and food delivery companies band together to shield their delivery partners from the heatwave

Regardless of the delivery partner's business, Zomato, a food delivery platform, has set up 450 rest areas nationwide. Mobile charging stations, free drinking water, spotless restrooms, and cozy seats are all features of the rest areas.

With several cities seeing temperatures above average and vast portions of India experiencing heatwaves, food delivery and e-commerce companies have devised a number of strategies to protect their delivery partners from the intense heat.

platform for food delivery Regardless of the delivery partner's business, Zomato has set over 450 rest areas across the nation. The rest areas include free drinking water, mobile charging stations, cozy sitting, and hygienic restrooms.

More than 5 lakh units of juices, snacks, and glucose have been purchased; they will be given to active delivery partners at more than 450 sites throughout more than 250 cities.

"In more than 530 cities, all delivery partners have access to a 15-minute ambulance and round-the-clock SOS help to handle any health or medical emergency and provide rapid aid when required.

Rakesh Ranjan, CEO of Zomato's food delivery division, said, "We also send out preemptive signals of upcoming heatwaves in addition to introduced full-sleeve, dry-fit t-shirts among our delivery partners."

Additionally, Zomato advised customers on X to place their orders no later than absolutely required to avoid the afternoon rush.

With over 900 recharge zones in high-demand locations, Swiggy's rapid commerce platform Swiggy Instamart provides rest places, cool drinks, phone charging stations, and bathrooms that are open to all delivery partners in the sector.

Zomato owns the rapid commerce platform Blinkit, which has incorporated SOS help into the delivery partners' app to provide prompt medical aid in an emergency.

In order to provide quick respite from the heat, Blinkit CEO Albinder Dhindsa announced that the firm is putting air conditioners in the waiting rooms of its shops.

According to Ranjan, all active delivery partners on Zomato and Blinkit are covered by insurance under IPD up to Rs 1,00,000 and OPD up to Rs 5,000 for free medical assistance.

Flipkart, an online retailer, is also taking precautions against the harsh summer weather for its wishmasters, or delivery personnel.

"Flipkart's supply chain is the foundation of our company, and as a care-first, employee-focused organization, we make sure that our last-mile leaders always have access to the tools they need.

"During the current summer season, a few additional inclusions used in the daily routine of our wishmasters include the handing out of glucose beverages, provision with extra fans and coolers across facilities, and facilitating the summer season safety management briefings in order to guarantee heatwave advisories are adhered to," stated Prajakta Kanaglekar, Vice President and HR Leader the online retailer.