Categories
Travel

Uber can finally focus on customer complaints

In the past couple of years, it appears that Uber is working on supply issues. Maybe the company’s drop the ball on the experience itself. I’ve had to wait longer than expected for an Uber right. It seems like this is next in Uber’s list to tackle:

Uber says its chronic shortage of drivers is finally in the rear-view mirror, allowing it to focus on passenger complaints such as cancellations and wait times, according to a top executive at the global ride-hailing group.

The company’s ten largest markets, which together make up more than three-quarters of its bookings, all saw month-on-month driver growth in August, said Andrew Macdonald, Uber’s head of mobility. “That is indicative of a broad-based trend we are seeing around the world,” he added. Globally driver supply is up 70 per cent year-on-year, while the UK hit 85,000 active Uber drivers in August, the highest number ever on the country’s roads.

Resolving its driver shortage has allowed Uber to turn its attention to addressing other customer complaints, including long wait times and drivers who cancel after initially accepting a trip, said Macdonald, a 10-year Uber veteran who took over global responsibility for its ride-hailing business in 2019.

Source: FT
Categories
Technology

Uber partners with Hertz to offer 50,000 Tesla

Uber Technologies Inc on Wednesday said it is launching a new partnership with rental car company Hertz to offer 50,000 Tesla Inc vehicles as a rental option for its ride-hail drivers by 2023.

The announcement comes after Hertz on Monday said it would order 100,000 Tesla vehicles by the end of 2022, meaning that half of the rental company’s Tesla fleet would be reserved exclusively for Uber drivers.

For Uber drivers, Tesla rentals will start out at $334 a week, including insurance and maintenance, and consist mostly of the company’s Model 3 sedan. Uber said the rental cost would drop to $299 per week or lower as the program expands in the coming year.

Yahoo

I think this is a right step to electrification in automobiles. Also great news for Hertz being relevant again with electric cars. And of course, sweet win for Tesla.

This is also related to Newsom’s executive order to have California state to require that, by 2035, all new cars and passenger trucks sold in California be zero-emission vehicles.

Following the order, the California Air Resources Board will develop regulations to mandate that 100 percent of in-state sales of new passenger cars and trucks are zero-emission by 2035 – a target which would achieve more than a 35 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and an 80 percent improvement in oxides of nitrogen emissions from cars statewide. In addition, the Air Resources Board will develop regulations to mandate that all operations of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles shall be 100 percent zero emission by 2045 where feasible, with the mandate going into effect by 2035 for drayage trucks.

California gov
Categories
Technology

Uber starts 15-minute delivery in Paris

The U.S. ride-hailing and food delivery company said it has expanded a partnership with French supermarket chain Carrefour to debut the service, which is called Carrefour Sprint. It will be available on the Uber Eats app from Tuesday. Rather than sending couriers to Carrefour stores, Uber is relying on a network of so-called dark stores — small warehouses where pickers and packers prepare orders for delivery — operated by French start-up Cajoo.

The service, Carrefour Sprint, relies on so-called dark stores — small warehouses — operated by French start-up Cajoo.

CNBC

Dark stores sounds just like Amazon fulfillment centers to me. It’s overall a good move if it addresses the needs of the busy people in Paris. Personally, I don’t see a need for 15-minute delivery.

Categories
Stocks Technology

DoorDash and Uber Eats is gaining on Grubhub

Note that this is a share-price chart and not representing the sales of the various companies.

On Wednesday, the new parent company of Grubhub, Amsterdam-based Just Eat Takeaway.com, TKWY 0.33% also known as Jet, provided a third-quarter trading update. While several countries showed stellar growth, Grubhub’s business looked disappointing, setting a negative tone ahead of third-quarter earnings for DoorDash DASH 0.61% and the Uber Eats unit of Uber Technologies. UBER -2.67% One conclusion is that Grubhub’s trends signal an industrywide slowdown for food delivery in the U.S. More likely, Grubhub’s pain is its competitors’ gain.

Competition looks like a key factor, though. YipitData shows that Uber Eats gained market share in the third quarter at the expense of Grubhub, overtaking the incumbent to become the market leader in New York City. Meanwhile, data from M Science shows that the U.S. market leader, DoorDash, expanded its national share over 6 percentage points year over year in the third quarter, at least in part at the expense of Grubhub.

Wall Street Journal

Both DoorDash and Uber Eats appears to be doing pretty well in the delivery business in USA.

Categories
Stocks Technology

Uber completes Drizly acquisition

Uber Technologies, Inc. today announced that it has completed its acquisition of Drizly and that the two companies will begin integrating their complementary delivery apps and services. The purchase consideration was approximately $1.1 billion, consisting of approximately 18.7 million newly issued shares of Uber common stock plus cash.

Uber

On other new, cannabis marketplace Lantern is spun out of Drizly.

I think the Drizly-Uber combintion will be something to watch out for. It’s good to see Uber doubling down on delivery. There’s so much opportunities there for both companies.