The service, initially known as Uber Connect and now rebranded as Uber Package, allows users to arrange same-day pickup and delivery of packages within a specific geographic area.
Starting in December 2023, Cape Town will be the first city to experience this service, with the significant twist that the delivery vehicles will be fully electric. The expansion of this electric delivery service to Johannesburg is set for February 2024.
At its 10th-anniversary celebration in South Africa, Uber unveiled an essential component of this new venture – electric scooters with hot-swappable battery packs. Two scooter models will be used for the service: one with a 1.5kWh battery, offering a 90km range and a top speed of 55km/h, and a second with a 4kWh battery, providing a 110km range and a maximum speed of 95km/h.
Instead of recharging directly through a station or outlet, drivers will be able to swap out their depleted battery unit for a fully charged one at designated battery lockers, a process that Uber claims can be completed in less than a minute. This approach is reminiscent of the battery-swapping system employed by Taiwanese company Gogoro for urban electric scooters and vehicles.
Uber sees the introduction of this electric mobility product as a significant step toward achieving its global goal of becoming a zero-emission platform by 2040.
In addition to Uber Package, the company announced several other new products in South Africa for its 10th anniversary, including Uber Store Pickups, Uber Van expansion to Cape Town, Uber Black luxury rideshare service expansion to Durban, and the expansion of the Reserve Airport Pickup feature to other ride options like UberX, Uber Comfort, and Uber XL. Furthermore, Uber introduced Uber Eats Live, allowing users to place delivery orders while they are away from home or the office, catering to locations like airports, sports stadiums, concert venues, and music festivals, potentially helping people avoid long queues at such events.
Uber also revealed interesting data about trips booked on its platform in South Africa:
- Most kilometres travelled by a single rider: 813.35km
- Most popular drop-off destination: OR Tambo International Airport
- Most popular time to request a ride: 14:00
- The biggest rider tip: R8,816
- Common items left behind: Keys and phones
- Top 3 nationalities with the highest number of trips in South Africa: US, the UK, and Germany
- The most popular day to travel: Friday
- Distance covered: Equal to 2,300 trips between Earth and the Moon (1.77 billion kilometres)
- Number of people who booked rides: Enough to fill up FNB Stadium 78 times (7.39 million people)
