MUSCAT : Al Hajri explained that the disruption stemmed from enforcement actions against unregistered and informally employed drivers working under incorrect permits, a practice that raised serious public safety and liability concerns.

It may be recalled that for weeks residents of Muscat faced an unexpected disruption across major online food delivery platforms, including Talabat and Khedmah, as restaurant listings suddenly went dark and orders ground to a halt. The outage sparked speculation ranging from app hacks to mass arrests of delivery drivers, leaving customers and businesses in confusion.

To clarify the situation, Oman FM spoke with Saleh Al Hajri, Deputy Head of Governance for the National Employment Program at the Ministry of Labour, revealing the root causes behind what has become the largest delivery shake-up in Muscat to date.

According to Al Hajri, the disruption stems from regulatory enforcement targeting delivery riders operating without proper licenses or work permits. “During the pre-phase, we had the platforms taking orders from customers and delivering it through third-party logistics providers (3PLs). These 3PLs would assign the delivery to one of their drivers who were often not working under their permit. It is an informal work agreement that they had with the delivery agents,” Al Hajri explained.

He described the situation as “an illegal setup,” with some drivers holding permits for other jobs while moonlighting as delivery personnel. “These drivers were unregistered, untrained, and presented public safety concerns. If something went wrong, it was unclear who would be responsible,” he said.

Highlighting the safety concern, he stated: “If anybody (delivery personnel) visits my home, how do we know who this guy is and what not?”

When asked how these unlicensed drivers end up in delivery jobs, Al Hajri pointed out that some of have actual work permits, but they are not working under their company. “There’s an informal way of dealing in this case…probably he wants an extra income or maybe he likes this job… But you have an illegal situation overall and that is a concern,” he noted.

Al Hajri also emphasised that a dedicated inter-ministerial committee, including representatives from the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Transport, Communication, and Information Technology, is actively overseeing the transition to a regulated system that ensures licensed and trained drivers manage deliveries.

The Arabian Stores had reported last week that the sudden enforcement has had immediate consequences. Restaurants across Muscat reported sharp declines in orders, with some experiencing reductions of up to 40 percent in takeaway sales. This is because many establishments rely heavily on delivery apps for daily revenue, particularly small cafés and cloud kitchens. One café owner noted that nearly 80 percent of their orders vanished almost overnight.

Talabat had also issued a statement acknowledging “temporary delays due to ongoing challenges in local operations” and affirmed that their teams are working closely with authorities to resume normal service. Consumers, meanwhile, have expressed frustration over the lack of clear communication, with the ‘closed’ labels across apps highlighting the disruption to daily routines for office workers and single households reliant on ready-to-eat meals.

The Ministry of Labour had earlier suspended issuance and renewal of work permits for delivery personnel unless applicants hold professional licenses issued by the Logistics Sector Skills Unit.

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