Women riders also started doing food delivery work in Lahore

Food delivery work is mostly done by boys, but now in Lahore and other big cities some women riders are also doing this work.

Per Mile food delivery riders say they often encounter positive and positive attitudes from customers. Especially female customers praise and encourage them. In the field she has to deal with people of different mindsets and temperaments but she leaves home prepared to face any situation.

The female rider said that my father was very angry when he came to know that I wanted to get a job and do food delivery, but after a little fight I convinced him, now my family would be proud of me. Is.

Muzamil Haji, who works as a food delivery rider at McDonald’s Gulberg, hails from Shimla Pahari area of ​​Lahore and is now preparing for Masters after graduation.

Muzamil said that I have nine sisters and one brother, after the separation of parents she lives with her mother and brother, sisters. She does this part-time job to cover her education expenses and keep the house burning. According to Muzamil Haji, she learned to ride a bike from her father, initially there were a lot of injuries, but now she rides a bike without fear and danger, that’s why she has chosen the work of food delivery.

Like Muzamil Haji, Kashf Nadeem is also working as a food delivery ride. Kashf Nadeem, a resident of Awan Town, attends college in the morning and works as a part-time food delivery in the evening. According to Kashf Nadeem, she lives with her mother and brother. He has two older sisters who are married.

While riding on the streets, women are often stared at and shouted at by some people, while the food delivery people face harsh attitudes when the delivery is delayed or something is missing in the order, but Kashf and Muzamil say their The experience has been quite different.

Kashf says that our delivery time is up to 30 minutes, if there is a delay due to traffic, bad weather or any other reason, we call the customer and apprise them of the situation. In three years, no one has been rude to them, nor has a customer spoken angrily to them.

Muzamil says that most of the female customers are not only happy but encouraged when they know that a girl has brought their delivery. This increases their courage and passion.

According to an estimate, there are currently more than 50 food delivery riders per mile in Lahore. However, not all Per Mile food delivery riders have the same experience. A food delivery rider associated with Food Panda, a leading food delivery company, said on condition of anonymity that he has faced unwanted comments and behavior many times while riding and from customers.

She said that once she went to a house in Faisal Town for a pizza delivery where the boys there offered her huge money and wrongdoing, one of the boys even grabbed her hand. He said that it was a terrible day of his life but then he mustered up the courage and gave a stern reply to the boys, before I called 15 and the boys started apologizing.

He also said that some customers ask for their phone number and if a customer is contacted on the phone to find out the location, they save the customer number and send a message or try to call later. Similarly, they also try to hold hands and touch on the pretext of paying and tipping.

Another female rider, Nazia Shafiq, said that while riding, when she has to stop at a traffic signal, many young people and seniors start looking at her very carefully, they find it very bad. The eyes of these people feel hidden in the body. He said that although she dresses in such a way that it is quite difficult to guess whether she is a boy or a girl, some people still stare.

Food delivery service companies also train their riders before sending them into the field. Umar Aziz, manager of McDonald’s Gulberg branch, told The Express Tribune, “We train our riders that in the field they will have to face people with different attitudes and moods, how to talk to customers and how to keep themselves safe. This is said to be the reason why till date they have not received any complaints from any of their customers nor any of their riders.

Omar Aziz says that the service of women riders is more appreciated, he believes that women are as talented as any man. We provide opportunities to all without any gender division. training, it then depends on their own ability as to what they get out of it.

Per mile food delivery riders say it is very difficult for a girl to go out and work unless her family supports her. Thanks to Allah, now people are getting conscious and they are giving opportunities to their daughters to progress and advance in the field of life like sons.

Rashida Qureshi, who works on gender discrimination, says that our society as a whole is considered to be a man’s society where for centuries women have been seen only to do housework and take care of children. Now that women have come out due to education and awareness, started driving and now riding bikes, society has started to accept this change but still some people mock women as weak and easy targets. They seem to do.

He gave an example that some time ago the traffic police had appointed women officers in the field, but due to the reactions and attitudes of the citizens, women were restricted to the offices, but now women are daring enough to ride bikes. Not only learning but also seen in food delivery, such women will surely become role models for other women.

He said that if the laws related to harassment of women are strictly enforced, then these women coming into the field will get more encouragement.