From mini-buses to autonomous robot deliveries, Uber is expanding its offer


The group is still looking for a sustainable profitability model.

Uber, wishing to be more than a platform for ordering a car or a meal, presented a series of new options on Monday to facilitate the organization of stays, to reserve a mini-bus or to test delivery by autonomous robots.

The idea is to help customers “to go anywhere and get anything”explained in a message the boss of the group, Dara Khosrowshahi, who is also seeking to curb the company’s expenses to improve its profitability. “There are many points of intersection between simple transport and other needs”detailed Jen You, product manager in the transport division of Uber, during a press briefing.

As consumers emerge more or less from two years of the pandemic, “we want to become (the) daily point of contact for travel, work, meetings or even (the) small personal errands”, she pointed out. With “Uber Travel,” for example, available to customers with a Gmail account, a traveler landing at the airport can order a meal with Uber Eats and have it delivered directly to the hotel.

Working with Gmail

This new feature involves letting Uber automatically connect to the user’s Gmail account and pull all relevant information from it, about flight, hotel or restaurant reservations. It will be available from Monday in the United States, in the coming weeks in Canada and this summer in the United Kingdom, where customers will also be able to buy train tickets and reserve cars via the Uber application.

From this summer in the United States, it will also be possible to book a mini-bus for a private or professional event on the Uber app. Uber, which has set itself the goal of achieving “carbon neutrality” by 2030 in Europe and North America, has also gathered on a new page of its application intended for drivers, information on electric vehicles and incentives. existing finances.

The group has also included in its road maps where the nearest electric charging stations are. The platform will also launch two autonomous delivery pilot projects in Los Angeles, with Serve Robotics robots moving alone on sidewalks and with Motional’s fleet of autonomous cars.



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