Afghan delivery men feel pressure as online sales rise

AFP, KABUL: Afghan courier Sarajuddin stops his motorbike on a dirt road in the heart of war-torn Kabul and calls his customer for directions: “I am in the second street. Which way should I go now?”

As Afghans embrace online shopping, harried delivery men in the capital are increasingly running the gauntlet of security checkpoints, gridlocked traffic, and potholed roads—as well as the near-constant threat of blasts and attacks.

Lost in Kabul’s labyrinthine streets, Sarajuddin often arrives at his destination late, sometimes by several hours. He then has to endure the abuse of angry customers who have been waiting for their package.

“You never know how long it takes to reach an address in Kabul,” the 24-year-old tells AFP as he prepares to set off on what he hopes will be a quick delivery. “An estimate of time and distance in Kabul can end up being totally wrong.”

It is a problem that is likely to worsen as more and more delivery men fight their way through Kabul to satisfy the country’s nascent e-commerce market. In recent years a new generation of tech-savvy entrepreneurs has tapped into a small but growing online market—currently around eight million people, less than one-third of the population, can access the internet.

 

Afghan delivery men feel pressure as online sales rise

AFP, KABUL: Afghan courier Sarajuddin stops his motorbike on a dirt road in the heart of war-torn Kabul and calls his customer for directions: I am in the second street. Which way should I go now? As Afghans embrace online shopping, harried delivery men in the capital are increasingly running the gauntlet of security checkpoints, gridlocked traffic, and potholed roadsas well as the near-constant threat of blasts and attacks. Lost in Kabuls labyrinthine streets, Sarajuddin often arrives at his destination late, sometimes by several hours. He then has to endure the abuse of angry customers who have been waiting for their package. You never know how long it takes to reach an address in Kabul, the 24-year-old tells AFP as he prepares to set off on what he hopes will be a quick delivery. An estimate of time and distance in Kabul can end up being totally wrong. It is a problem that is likely to worsen as more and more delivery men fight their way through Kabul to satisfy the countrys nascent e-commerce market. In recent years a new generation of tech-savvy entrepreneurs has tapped into a small but growing online marketcurrently around eight million people, less than one-third of the population, can access the internet.