Popular app Uber just launched UberEats, its food delivery service, which is already available in 16 cities, including New York and London. Along with Amsterdam and Johannesburg, Dubai has joined 32 cities as part of the company’s wider roll-out of the service, which aims to rival established meal delivery services in the UAE, including, Deliveroo and Talabat.
We give the new app a try once it became operational today, September 29, at 11am
11.05am
I downloaded the UberEats app the night before from the Android store. Users who have an existing Uber account can sign in with the same details. For new users, signing up involves filling out basic details, contact number, location and credit card information. I’ve just sweat it out for an hour at the gym and I’m ready to order a full meal. The app loads quickly and lists restaurants that open at this hour. Uber has teamed up with more than 200 restaurants in Dubai in this inaugural phase. The app allows you to browse through food outlets based on cuisine, as well. Users can order through the app from 11am until 11pm from Sunday to Thursday and until 5am on the weekend.
11.07am
It takes me a few minutes to go through the various options, which include restaurants like Saladicious, Burger Fuel, Eric Kayser, Circle Cafe, Taqado, Shakespeare and Co, Falafel Farm and KCal. I opt for Saladicious and the app calculates an estimated time of delivery, which helps when you are pressed for time and need your post workout meal pronto. The restaurant page lists its most popular dishes, followed by the full menu. There is also a quick drop menu to help narrow down the search based on preferences. I click on the Caesar Salad with an add on of chicken and a note to leave out the Parmesan cheese and croutons (dietary restrictions). With two more clicks the app adds my meal to the cart and I check out with a credit card payment. Users get Dh50 off on the first order with the code “DubaiEATS”.
11.10am
An order page pops up that allows me to see the status of my order. It take a few seconds for my order to be accepted by the restaurant. The app displays an estimated delivery time. I’m expecting the deliveryman to be at my doorstep in Umm Suqeim Rd. East at around 11.49am. That’s my cue to begin the clock glancing game. The true test of a good delivery service boils down to time. Taking into consideration the erratic traffic situation in Dubai, I add a buffer of 10 minutes to the total time.
11.42am
The app notifies me that my food is ready and the courier is on the way. I’m informed that my package will be delivery by 11.44am. Though the preparation time took a while, I’m impressed at the commitment to getting my food to me on time or even before.
11.57am
The estimated time has gone up to 12.03pm. I’m tracking the whereabouts of the driver on the map and I can see the little Uber icon slowly make its way from Al Safa to my location. The delivery time has moved up to 12.06pm
12.01pm
I get a notification that my entire order, which seemed to be on its way, has been cancelled. I call the outlet and am told that the driver couldn’t get in touch when he had trouble finding the location (he was trying to call a number registered in the US) and they cancelled the entire order.
12.28pm
The mix-up means I have to reorder. I will now receive my meal at around 1.03pm according to the app. At 12.43, my phone buzzes with a notification that my order is on its way and will arrive in 10 minutes.
1.03pm
The driver calls me and informs me that the map directed him to Dubai International Financial Centre. That’s about 15 minutes away from my location. I have to send him my location on WhatsApp.
1.48pm
I’ve finally got my salad, done according to my specification. I’m finally going to dig in.
The verdict
The app has an uncomplicated interface that makes ordering quick and easy. Being able to track the delivery from the time the order is received to when it is dispatched is a helpful feature.
But the entire transaction was rather stressful because I had to order my meal twice. The app uses GPS to pin the location, so the deliveryman shouldn’t have had troubling finding me. Also, orders shouldn’t be accepted if the contact details are incorrect.
A customer service representative of UberEats contacted me to explain that the app, unlike Uber driving service, requires the user to type in an exact location. But this wasn’t possible because those instructions aren’t clear while ordering and the app did not provide the option to put down comprehensive location information.
They did try to solve the matter for me after receiving the location again. Also, this defeats the purpose of using technology to speed up deliveries. The estimated wait time for a simple salad, even without the complications, was quite long.
Then again, this was UberEats’s first day of service and for such a reputable company, I am sure such kinks will be ironed immediately.
• UberEats can be downloaded from the Apple and Android app stores. Delivery is free for a limited time. For details, visit ubereats.com.
aahmed@thenational.ae
MEDIEVIL (1998)
Developer: SCE Studio Cambridge
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Console: PlayStation, PlayStation 4 and 5
Rating: 3.5/5
Specs
Engine: 2-litre
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 255hp
Torque: 273Nm
Price: Dh240,000
RESULTS
6.30pm UAE 1000 Guineas Trial Conditions (TB) US$100,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner Final Song, Christophe Soumillon (jockey), Saeed bin Suroor (trainer).
7.05pm Handicap (TB) $135,000 (Turf) 1,000m
Winner Almanaara, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson.
7.40pm Handicap (TB) $175,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner Grand Argentier, Brett Doyle, Doug Watson.
8.15pm Meydan Challenge Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner Major Partnership, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor.
8.50pm Dubai Stakes Group 3 (TB) $200,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner Gladiator King, Mickael Barzalona, Satish Seemar.
9.25pm Dubai Racing Club Classic Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 2,410m
Winner Universal Order, Richard Mullen, David Simcock.
Juvenile arthritis
Along with doctors, families and teachers can help pick up cases of arthritis in children.
Most types of childhood arthritis are known as juvenile idiopathic arthritis. JIA causes pain and inflammation in one or more joints for at least six weeks.
Dr Betina Rogalski said "The younger the child the more difficult it into pick up the symptoms. If the child is small, it may just be a bit grumpy or pull its leg a way or not feel like walking,” she said.
According to The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases in US, the most common symptoms of juvenile arthritis are joint swelling, pain, and stiffness that doesn’t go away. Usually it affects the knees, hands, and feet, and it’s worse in the morning or after a nap.
Limping in the morning because of a stiff knee, excessive clumsiness, having a high fever and skin rash are other symptoms. Children may also have swelling in lymph nodes in the neck and other parts of the body.
Arthritis in children can cause eye inflammation and growth problems and can cause bones and joints to grow unevenly.
In the UK, about 15,000 children and young people are affected by arthritis.
Du Football Champions
The fourth season of du Football Champions was launched at Gitex on Wednesday alongside the Middle East’s first sports-tech scouting platform.“du Talents”, which enables aspiring footballers to upload their profiles and highlights reels and communicate directly with coaches, is designed to extend the reach of the programme, which has already attracted more than 21,500 players in its first three years.
SPECS
Engine: 2-litre 4-cylinder petrol (V Class); electric motor with 60kW or 90kW powerpack (EQV)
Power: 233hp (V Class, best option); 204hp (EQV, best option)
Torque: 350Nm (V Class, best option); TBA (EQV)
On sale: Mid-2024
Price: TBA
The specs
Engine: 3.5-litre, twin-turbo V6
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Power: 410hp
Torque: 495Nm
Price: starts from Dh495,000 (Dh610,000 for the F-Sport launch edition tested)
On sale: now
The BIO:
He became the first Emirati to climb Mount Everest in 2011, from the south section in Nepal
He ascended Mount Everest the next year from the more treacherous north Tibetan side
By 2015, he had completed the Explorers Grand Slam
Last year, he conquered K2, the world’s second-highest mountain located on the Pakistan-Chinese border
He carries dried camel meat, dried dates and a wheat mixture for the final summit push
His new goal is to climb 14 peaks that are more than 8,000 metres above sea level
HIV on the rise in the region
A 2019 United Nations special analysis on Aids reveals 37 per cent of new HIV infections in the Mena region are from people injecting drugs.
New HIV infections have also risen by 29 per cent in western Europe and Asia, and by 7 per cent in Latin America, but declined elsewhere.
Egypt has shown the highest increase in recorded cases of HIV since 2010, up by 196 per cent.
Access to HIV testing, treatment and care in the region is well below the global average.
Few statistics have been published on the number of cases in the UAE, although a UNAIDS report said 1.5 per cent of the prison population has the virus.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tottenham 0-1 Ajax, Tuesday
Second leg
Ajax v Tottenham, Wednesday, May 8, 11pm
Game is on BeIN Sports
The biog
Favourite Quote: “Real victories are those that protect human life, not those that result from its destruction emerge from its ashes,” by The late king Hussain of Jordan.
Favourite Hobby: Writing and cooking
Favourite Book: The Prophet by Gibran Khalil Gibran
Indoor Cricket World Cup Dubai 2017
Venue Insportz, Dubai; Admission Free
Fixtures - Open Men 2pm: India v New Zealand, Malaysia v UAE, Singapore v South Africa, Sri Lanka v England; 8pm: Australia v Singapore, India v Sri Lanka, England v Malaysia, New Zealand v South Africa
Fixtures - Open Women Noon: New Zealand v England, UAE v Australia; 6pm: England v South Africa, New Zealand v Australia
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
The team
Videographer: Jear Velasquez
Photography: Romeo Perez
Fashion director: Sarah Maisey
Make-up: Gulum Erzincan at Art Factory
Models: Meti and Clinton at MMG
Video assistant: Zanong Maget
Social media: Fatima Al Mahmoud
The specs
Engine: Twin electric motors and 105kWh battery pack
Power: 619hp
Torque: 1,015Nm
Transmission: Single-speed auto
Touring range: Up to 561km
On sale: Q3 or Q4 2022
Price: From Dh635,000
AIDA RETURNS
Director: Carol Mansour
Starring: Aida Abboud, Carol Mansour
Rating: 3.5./5
Stamp duty timeline
December 2014: Former UK chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne reforms stamp duty land tax (SDLT), replacing the slab system with a blended rate scheme, with the top rate increasing to 12 per cent from 10 per cent:
Up to £125,000 – 0%; £125,000 to £250,000 – 2%; £250,000 to £925,000 – 5%; £925,000 to £1.5m: 10%; More than £1.5m – 12%
April 2016: New 3% surcharge applied to any buy-to-let properties or additional homes purchased.
July 2020: Chancellor Rishi Sunak unveils SDLT holiday, with no tax to pay on the first £500,000, with buyers saving up to £15,000.
March 2021: Mr Sunak extends the SDLT holiday at his March 3 budget until the end of June.
April 2021: 2% SDLT surcharge added to property transactions made by overseas buyers.
June 2021: SDLT holiday on transactions up to £500,000 expires on June 30.
July 2021: Tax break on transactions between £125,000 to £250,000 starts on July 1 and runs until September 30.
Stormy seas
Weather warnings show that Storm Eunice is soon to make landfall. The videographer and I are scrambling to return to the other side of the Channel before it does. As we race to the port of Calais, I see miles of wire fencing topped with barbed wire all around it, a silent ‘Keep Out’ sign for those who, unlike us, aren’t lucky enough to have the right to move freely and safely across borders.
We set sail on a giant ferry whose length dwarfs the dinghies migrants use by nearly a 100 times. Despite the windy rain lashing at the portholes, we arrive safely in Dover; grateful but acutely aware of the miserable conditions the people we’ve left behind are in and of the privilege of choice.
