Sri Lanka (Commonwealth Union)_ After successfully completing five years of operations in Sri Lanka, Uber Eats commemorated its five-year anniversary by recognizing the invaluable contributions of its delivery partners. The culmination of this milestone was marked by a celebratory event attended by the dedicated drivers and their families.
Varun Wijewardene, the General Manager of Uber Eats Sri Lanka, characterized the journey as ‘nothing short of incredible’ and expressed enthusiastic anticipation for the future. Since initiating operations in 2018, Uber Eats has consistently expanded its presence across various regions in Sri Lanka, with Galle being the most recent addition to its network.
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The platform’s evolution has reshaped the landscape of food and grocery ordering in the country, emphasizing the transformative impact it has had. Wijewardene highlighted the substantial ‘earning and entrepreneurship opportunities’ that Uber Eats has afforded to hundreds of thousands of Sri Lankans over the past few years. Uber Eats serves as a flexible and primary source of income for delivery partners, supporting a multitude of individuals in their livelihoods. Additionally, numerous small enterprises, originating from home kitchens, have flourished and expanded to different locations, thanks to the support, exposure, and reach provided by the Uber Eats platform.
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Further, with its robust network, Uber Eats also accomplished an impressive 32 million deliveries in Sri Lanka last year alone. Acknowledging the indispensable role played by its partners, the platform celebrated its five-year journey by recognizing the dedication of both delivery and merchant partners. In commitment to the welfare of delivery partners and their families, Uber Eats unveiled the third edition of the ‘Uber Delivery Scholar‘ program. This initiative supports the education of kids of delivery partners by offering school scholarships and necessary supplies. A total of 300 couriers’ children were beneficiaries of this program, receiving scholarships and learning tools.
Uber Eats also took the opportunity to honor its expanding network of merchant partners and their significant contributions to the company’s journey in Sri Lanka. Fifty merchant partners were awarded educational opportunities through scholarship grants, enabling them to pursue certificate courses in areas such as marketing, financial and administrative planning, use of social media, business development and innovation, governance, and compliance, among others.
Throughout its five-year presence in Sri Lanka, Uber Eats has demonstrated resilience in serving the local community during challenging periods. From navigating the aftermath of the tragic Easter attacks in its inaugural year to addressing the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, including subsequent lockdowns, and more recently, contending with an economic crisis, Uber Eats has consistently rolled out initiatives to support its customers, couriers, merchant partners, and the broader community. In the preceding year, Uber collaborated with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Sri Lanka to raise awareness about sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) through its extensive network of couriers, merchant partners, and customers, advocating against such issues.
