Para Games athlete takes on food delivery challenge
A workplace accident more than 20 years ago confined him to a wheelchair.
But it did not stop Mr Kamas Mohd from going on to become a national athlete in 2015 and representing Singapore in wheelchair basketball at the Asean Para Games.
He has since taken on another challenge: He signed on to become an UberEATS delivery partner in late May after he was retrenched.
Now he travels every day on his motorised wheelchair to deliver food for the company, once going as far as 5km from Dhoby Ghaut to Tiong Bahru, a trip that took him 27 minutes.
"Once I accept a delivery, I will and must go, no matter what," Mr Kamas, who used to work in the oil and gas sector, told The New Paper.
The 46-year-old starts his day at 11am and ends only at 10pm as he targets to go on at least 12 trips a day. He earns about $400 a week.
Of his disability, Mr Kamas said: "What God gives me, I will accept. After all, I've always been independent, so it wasn't difficult for me to adapt."
He is able to deliver to any location if he is around the area, but there are times when he has difficulties, such as when there are only stairs for him to take.
He takes along with him three essential items on his rounds - a tool bag for his motorised wheelchair, an UberEATS delivery bag and a raincoat.
His gumption caught the attention of a customer earlier last month, who went on Facebook to compliment him for delivering on time despite his disability.
The post went viral.
Mr Kamas said: "I really like it as I get to go around Singapore, meet new people and, after the viral post, I am happy people recognise my efforts."
Mr Barry Levy, head of expansion for UberEATS APAC, said: "We are delighted to give opportunities to more Singaporeans to earn money.
"At the end of the day, everyone just wants to have a chance to be independent and to contribute to their loved ones or society."
UberEATS wants to add more hawker options
One year after launching UberEATS in Singapore, the food-delivery platform is now available island-wide, and the company says it's keen on going "island-deep".
At an anniversary event yesterday, the company said it is looking to add more restaurant partners in the heartlands and hawker options to meet consumers' needs.
Some hawker options currently available on the service include stalls at the Tampines Round Market & Food Centre, Ming Fa Fishball and Holland Village Nasi Lemak.
Mr Barry Levy, head of expansion for UberEATS APAC said: "We choose our restaurant partners based on selection and quality. Through consumers' searches and knowing the popular types of cuisines, we make sure we have enough options for them."
UberEATS said it will also continue to leverage on technology by allowing restaurant partners to have access to data to tailor their offerings to customers.
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