talabat begins testing drone delivery service in Qatar

     

 

•drone delivery pilot project launched at Agrico facilities in Al Khor last week

•The six-month project a result of close collaboration between talabat and public, private entities

 

 

talabat, the region’s leading local tech platform delivering food and q-commerce solutions, officially announced the launch of its successful drone food delivery pilot programme in Qatar last week. The pilot took place at Agrico facilities in Al Khor and the Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (Qeeri), part of Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), and is a result of six months of collaboration.Commenting on the announcement, Francisco Miguel de Sousa, managing director of talabat Qatar, said: “We are excited to continue to shape the future of food delivery, not only in Qatar but throughout the region. The launch of our drone pilot programme is our second big future play, after we introduced our autonomous delivery vehicle, ‘talabot’ into the Msheireb district last year.”“The pilot programme is part of our ongoing commitment to introduce the latest technologies that continuously enhance our customers' experience on the app. On behalf of talabat, I would like to thank both the Qatari government and local entities, as well as HBKU and Agrico for their support in helping to drive the future forward, in Qatar.”“We will continue to work with local partners to make this service available to customers across the country, and to support and reach as many people in our communities as possible.” adds de Sousa.Nasser Ahmad al-Khalaf, partner/managing director of Agrico for Agriculture Development Company, said: "We are proud to work side by side with talabat on this innovative drone project. As the largest organic hydroponic farm in the Mena region, at Agrico, we always put our customers first. Together with talabat, we want to look together different solutions for our products to reach our customers on time, in the best condition, and with less fuel emissions.”During the pilot phase, talabat will continue to work with HBKU and other local entities to develop a viable operational solution with safety, reliability, and efficiency as the key priorities. Dr Antonio Sanfilippo, chief scientist at Qeeri, said: “We have been developing aerial survey technology under the leadership of Qeeri’s Scientist Dr Zhaohui Cen, to support energy, water, environment, and food security research. We are happy to support talabat and provide guidance and expertise in this endeavour”.The announcement of this programme aligns with talabat’s vision and ongoing efforts to introduce sustainable initiatives to scale and to be able to reach and reliably deliver to as many people as possible around the region and at the push of a button.