As COVID-19 continues to affect our communities, we remain focused on moving what matters. 

Over the last month, we’ve put our platform to use by helping to move frontline healthcare workers, ship PPE supplies, get food to folks who need it, and more. We’ve heard from people around the world who are looking for new ways to get necessities delivered to their door quickly, and businesses that are exploring how to better serve their customers from afar. That’s why we’ve accelerated our delivery efforts beyond food and grocery, to provide on-demand and scheduled last-mile delivery solutions for consumers and businesses alike. 

Today, we’re launching two new projects—Uber Direct and Uber Connect—in select cities. This is just a start: we’ll continue to leverage our technology to quickly adapt and meet the changing needs of our business partners and customers, wherever they are.

Uber Direct

Uber Direct builds upon Uber Eats’ recent expansion into grocery and convenience store delivery. We’ve heard from retailers and manufacturers around the world looking to introduce delivery through Uber, as an operationally efficient way to reach their customers or manage internal delivery needs. 

Shoppers can now place orders from select retailers and get their items delivered right to their doorstep—without contact. In New York City, we’ve kicked off a pilot with Cabinet, for as long as supplies last, to quickly connect New Yorkers with over-the-counter medication. In Portugal we’re working alongside the national postal service CTT to deliver parcels to their customers. And in Australia, we’re coordinating with Greencross to deliver pet supplies from Petbarn, City Farmers and the Greencross Vets clinics with same-day service.

We’ve also partnered with South Africa’s Western Cape Department of Health and The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to deliver medication to those most vulnerable to COVID-19. In just two weeks, over 25,000 people in South Africa have received their medication without leaving home.

Uber Connect 

We’re also seeing firsthand the importance of staying connected with loved ones or colleagues—albeit from a distance. With our new Uber Connect feature, users in select cities can log into the Uber app and send packages to family and friends. It’s a cost effective same-day, no-contact delivery solution that keeps people feeling close, even when we’re apart.

Whether it’s a care package, a board game, or an extra roll of much-needed toilet paper, you can send it by requesting “Uber Connect” in the Uber app. This option is now available in more than 25 cities in Australia, Mexico, and the US.

What this means for people who drive and deliver with Uber

We continue to encourage riders around the world to stay home, while we do our best to provide earning opportunities for drivers and delivery people. Our goal is for Uber Connect and Uber Direct to help drivers find essential work today, while unlocking new opportunities in the future.

Our focus on safety is unwavering, and we remain committed to arming our drivers and delivery people with the information they need to help them stay safe. We have rolled out a number of new features and policies to help protect their health and safety, including no-contact delivery, providing sanitizing supplies in high-risk regions, and more

Uber Direct and Uber Connect will evolve over time as we learn how to most effectively and sustainably serve the needs of businesses, drivers, delivery people, and consumers.

If your business is interested in learning more about how to deliver with Uber, connect with us here.