UAE Fuel Delivery Service: Company CAFU makes Dubai staging ground

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Now, from ordering food at the touch a button, to the latest e-commerce venture, convenience appears to be a commodity consumers are increasingly willing to pay for. And a business in the UAE is road-testing that theory, with a fuel delivery service, Jacob Greaves reports from Dubai.

Could this be about to fuel the latest delivery craze? Petrol taken from the pump to your car, without the punter having to queue at a petrol station. Dubai is the staging ground for company CAFU, hoping to roll the idea out across the UAE.

RASHID AL GHURAIR CAFU CEO & FOUNDER "We relate our prices to the pump price and then the fuel station price, we charge a convenience charge which is the charge for getting the fuel delivered obviously there are certain segments in the market where people pay for convenience. We've seen it in things like food delivery and e-commerce. I mean you see how that whole industry is shaping up."

They've only been operating a matter of months, but they've honed the product around that convenience. You don't even need to be present during the delivery.

JACOB GREAVES DUBAI "In principle, once you've downloaded the app ordering a refuelling truck like this takes just 3 steps: set a time, leave the petrol tank unlocked then propose a location."

This might be an emirate synonymous with luxury. But it still begs the question, are they trying to solve a problem that doesn't really exist, not according to one customer.

SHADI ATTIEH CUSTOMER "What I've realised in Dubai is every time I want to go to a petrol station I have to wait 10-15 minutes in line and I have to drive like 10 miles, I live in JLT and the closest one is 10 miles away. For me, this is time-consuming and I'd rather sit in my office and order it and the car will be refuelled automatically."

In the driving seat for now, CAFU faces future competition from UAE oil giant ADNOC. Though not yet launched, they're testing a service dubbed "call to fuel". But this is an oil producing nation, reflected in low prices at the pump. In countries where petrol seriously pinches the pockets, this business model might stall. JG for CGTN in Dubai.