Uber Eats, Sri Lanka’s most popular food and grocery delivery app, has completed 5 years in the country. Available across 6 Sri Lankan districts including Colombo, Kandy, Galle among others, the app has helped make over 32 million deliveries in Sri Lanka over the years.
To mark this milestone, Uber Eats recognized the role of couriers and merchant partners in its success and announced initiatives that will support them and their families to achieve their goals.
On the occasion, Uber Eats announced the third edition of ‘Uber Delivery Scholar’ – a program that aims to support children of couriers by providing scholarships and school supplies to them. Every subsequent year, the chosen child’s academic performance is evaluated to ensure that those with good performance are supported through the course of their schooling. This year, children of 300 couriers were awarded free scholarships and learning tools. 2 children with top academic performance and sports achievements were awarded a laptop and a sports goods voucher respectively. As a testimony to the success of the Uber Delivery Scholar program, over 85% of children chosen in the past, continued to perform well academically and have qualified for the next year. The company also recognized most engaged couriers with special awards including cash prizes.
Uber Eats also celebrated its growing network of merchant partners and their pivotal role in the company’s journey in Sri Lanka. 50 merchant partners were awarded the gift of education through scholarship grants to pursue certificate courses in areas that will support their growth. The focus areas for the diploma courses include Marketing, Financial and Administrative planning, Use of social media, Business development and Innovation, Governance and compliance, among others. Over the last 5 years, Uber Eats has shared its success with several merchant partners who grew from running home kitchens to restaurants with multiple branches with the exposure, scale, and support provided by the platform.
Commenting on Uber Eats’ journey in Sri Lanka, Varun Wijewardane, General Manager, Uber Eats Sri Lanka, said, “The love and acceptance that Uber Eats has received over the last five years has been incredible and humbling. Couriers and merchant partners have worked tirelessly to help establish Uber Eats as a household name in Sri Lanka. We recognize their efforts and in our own small way support the community we serve. We believe that school scholarships for children of couriers and customized diploma courses for merchant partners will bring them one step closer to achieving their life goals.”
Uber Eats has continued to serve the Sri Lankan community during challenging times over the last five years. With the tragic Easter attacks in its first year, to COVID impact including subsequent lockdowns, and the recent economic crisis – Uber Eats has rolled out a slew of initiatives to support customers, couriers, merchant partners, and the larger community.
Recently, Uber partnered with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Sri Lanka to build awareness through its network of couriers, merchant partners, and customer base to speak up and advocate against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV).
