Snoonu continues 'No Riders Under the Sun' initiative

To save delivery drivers from the risk of sunstroke and heat exhaustion, Snoonu, Qatar’s fastest-growing tech startup, announced Monday the continuation of the “No Riders Under the Sun” initiative first launched in June 2021.
From June 1 to September 15, Snoonu will restrict bike deliveries from 10am to 3.30pm, and instead rely on its air-conditioned car fleet to ensure that drivers can remain in a temperature-controlled environment while fulfilling their daily duties, a statement said
Snoonu founder and chief executive Hamad al-Hajri said: “Humanity comes before business, we live in the desert with a temperature exceeding 50° Celsius, and in addition to that, the bike rider wears a helmet and thick clothes, riding a metal-reflective bike ... it’s like being inside an oven.”
“Although Snoonu encountered some financial and business loss, on the other hand, we gained the public's love and our employees’ trust during the campaign,” he said.
“I myself was under those kinds of conditions 24 years ago when I was working in the offshore as tech assistant, under the scorching sun, and I can tell you it was a tough time for me,” al-Hajri said. “Now, I don’t want to see my employees suffering from the same conditions, as in Snoonu we always put our employees’ safety and well-being first.”
“I’m thrilled that the Ministry of Labour imposed a law in 2022 that all the other companies have to follow one year after our initiative,” he added.
Snoonu is a human-centric company has introduced several practices during the hot season to ensure its employees' comfort, health and safety, the statement said.
Al-Hajri, an entrepreneur and startup expert with over 20 years of experience in business innovation, founded Snoonu in 2019 “to revolutionise the Qatar market with the fastest services and the most diverse marketplace, facilitating online shopping, lifestyle, food, grocery delivery, and third-party logistics services for startups and SMEs (small- and medium-sized enterprises)”.
In November 2020, Snoonu launched its 24/7 online grocery store, offering a wide range of locally sourced products and supporting Qatar’s merchants.
Snoonu was awarded several awards, including “Most Funded Startup” by *Forbes, “Resilience Award” by the Qatar Development Bank, and Najah Qatari 2021 and 2022 by the public votes.
Leveraging the most advanced technology to create a seamless consumer experience, Snoonu teamed up with Microsoft to migrate its services to the Microsoft Azure Platform, boosting efficiency and productivity.
Snoonu aims to become a leader in delivery services, and the first super-app in Qatar with plans to expand internationally, the statement added.