Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — There has been an increase of 500 percent in the number of representatives of app-based registered delivery firms in the Kingdom since the start of coronavirus lockdowns in the second half of March, according a statement from the Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) carried by Saudi Press Agency.

The delivery apps were able to execute more than 12 million orders in more than 200 cities, towns and governorates across the Kingdom. “The operational capacity of delivery applications since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic contributed to the registration of a new number of executed orders, as the proportion of executed orders exceeded 240 percent compared to 54 percent in the beginning of April,” the commission said.

Eng. Naif Shashah, director general of postal and logistic services at the CITC, said that the commission, in partnership with many government agencies, has put in place precise governance mechanisms that ensured the effectiveness of this important activity during the pandemic.”

“The Human Resources Development Fund (HADAF), in partnership with CITC, had launched earlier a financial support program to motivate Saudi youth to join the delivery applications registered with CITC and that included financial incentives and opportunities for Saudi youth, in an important step toward Saudization of this vital sector,” he said.

Eng. Shashah said that the restructuring of the work of the app-based delivery sector was one of the main goals of the CITC, through joint and constructive cooperation with the Ministry of Commerce in launching an initiative aimed at linking the provision stores, pharmacies and medical supplies stores with the delivery applications registered with the commission in order to ensure the delivery of the essential needs of the beneficiaries at their homes in an easier way.

The CITC urged the beneficiaries to get acquainted with the list of applications registered with it by reviewing the list published on its website https://www.citc.gov.sa/list.

There are a total of 32 apps registered with it. The commission had previously instructed all app-based delivery service providers to take a raft of measures to prevent the outbreak of coronavirus, and to intensify control and inspection operations for all service providers, as well as to verify their compliance with preventive measures. It also took several legal measures against the violators.