Taxi hailing app service Uber, which has a presence in South Africa, has launched a trial courier service named UberRUSH in Manhattan.
The service, which is restricted to certain areas of Manhattan for now, allows users to track delivery progress on the Uber app, and share the item’s location with the recipient.
“With UberRUSH, your packages travel like a VIP. You get fast messenger pickups and immediate deliveries of the things you need to send,” Uber said in a blog post.
Rates for the service are calculated based on zone pricing, with a costing a flat US$15 if it begins and ends within the same zone, and each zone crossed during delivery costing an additional US$5.
“Messengers will only make deliveries within Manhattan below 110th Street to start. We’re working to expand quickly, and will update you as coverage areas change,” Uber said.
Uber launched in Johannesburg, South Africa, in August last year, with launches in Cape Town and Durban taking place soon after. HumanIPO reported in October the company was exploring M-Pesa integration for a launch in Nairobi, Kenya.
In November, handful of Uber users in Cape Town expressed dismay at being greeted by lower-end vehicles, with the company delivering a Chevy or a Toyota to some users rather than the traditional “black cars”, normally high-end Mercedes or BMW vehicles.
