We live in an era where speed is king. Food and household delivery apps are now promising to bring anything and everything to your door in 10 minutes or less. But here’s a thought: Is it really about speed, or is it about quality and safety?

We see fire tenders and ambulances struggling to reach their destinations on time, battling traffic jams and narrow lanes. Yet, somehow, food delivery boys are managing to break traffic rules, jump lights, and navigate through the chaos to meet the quickest-minute promise.

But at what cost? What about the drivers’ safety, hygiene, mental health, and the risk to their well-being? And what does this say about our expectations? Are we sacrificing care for convenience?

When we look at this delivery model, there are lessons to be learned—especially in terms of innovation and efficiency. However, this “instant gratification” model might not work as seamlessly in more critical areas like healthcare or emergency services, where every second truly counts.

Here’s the catch: These “smart” delivery companies are mostly focused on big cities, leaving smaller towns and rural areas out of the equation. In fact, emergency services often face the same challenges—many rural areas are left underserved when it comes to urgent care.

So, the question remains: Are our policymakers only focused on the needs of big-city dwellers? What about those in smaller towns and rural communities?

It’s time we rethink our priorities—speed shouldn’t come at the cost of safety, quality, and inclusivity.

While 10-minute delivery services can offer undeniable benefits in terms of customer satisfaction, innovation, and economic opportunities, there are significant concerns related to safety, quality, and sustainability.

It’s important to balance speed with responsibility, ensuring that both workers and consumers are protected, and that such services are equitable and feasible across different regions and industries.

Ultimately, the challenge is to develop a model that works for everyone—prioritising speed without compromising on safety, quality, and long-term viability. And if there is any fun, why only big cities have all the fun (sic)?

At the cost of repetition, must I emphasize that such models are unsustainable for Small Towns or Rural Areas!

The 10-minute delivery model is solely designed for urban, high-density areas. For rural or less populated regions, it’s impractical (for them) to maintain such fast delivery times due to logistics challenges, limited infrastructure, and smaller customer bases. This creates an inequality between urban and rural access to services.

The intense pressure to meet delivery targets within minutes can lead to high levels of stress, burnout, and mental health issues for delivery drivers. Long hours, traffic congestion, and the fear of penalties for missed deliveries can significantly affect workers’ well-being.

The unnecessary need to promise and maintain such rapid delivery services is resulting in more vehicles on the road, increasing carbon emissions and contributing to environmental degradation. The frequent need for deliveries in short timeframes is also leading to unnecessary fuel consumption and traffic congestion.

Are the Technical Innovation companies and micro-warehouses or ‘dark stores’ listening? I do not have any expectations from the policy makers, as they should think of boosting local economies and employment across our country! What do you say?