Ridesharing and delivery company Uber South Africa has reaffirmed its commitment to become a zero-emissions company by 2040 by introducing its new product offering called Uber Package. Through this service, customers can receive same-day deliveries in South Africa through the use of electric scooters.

These battery-powered scooters will be introduced in Cape Town first in December, following which they will be rolled out across Johannesburg next year.

Speaking at an event in Johannesburg, where Uber celebrated ten years of operations in South Africa, Uber sub-Saharan Africa GM Kagiso Khaole said the Uber Package service would soon become 100% electrified.

“Mobility is not perfect in this country. There's a lot that we need to do on our platform to ensure we keep generating sustainable opportunities for drivers, bringing reliability and convenience to riders, eaters and couriers,” he said.

The new electric scooter delivery vehicles will come in two forms. The medium-speed version has a 1.5-kW battery with a 55-km/h top speed and a range of about 90 km, while the other will have a 4-kW battery and a range of about 110 km per charge, reaching a top speed of 95 km/h.

Unlike other electric bikes, Uber's solution features a unique "swap and go" technology, which allows drivers to pull up to a battery station to swap out the scooter's battery for a fresh one within seconds. This means that the bikes do not need to wait to recharge, allowing for faster and uninterrupted delivery capabilities.

“We've got a very ambitious goal that, by 2040, we will become a zero-emissions platform, which includes all lines of business. As a technology provider, we don't own the cars, but we've looked at our responsibility to be beyond our four walls, around how do we help drivers to be able to transition to electric vehicles, and how do we help, for example, merchants to move to more sustainable packaging, among other things,” Khaole told Engineering News.

In addition to the electric scooter-powered Uber Package service rollout, Uber also announced that it would be introducing a subscription service that will allow customers various benefits if they sign up.

The subscription service, called Uber One, allows customers to have access to the gamut of Uber's offerings in one place for R500 a year or R50 a month. This allows subscribers to get free deliveries on eligible food and grocery orders, as well as a 0% service fee on eligible orders. For every delivery that is later than the latest arrival estimate provided by the company on its app, Uber will give Uber One customers R20 back.

Khaole said this was designed to push the company to improve its customer service. Uber One subscribers will also receive 5% off eligible Uber rides and have access to a variety of other perks and promotions.

In addition to the Uber One launch, the company also launched Uber Live, which is a mobile ordering solution that allows Uber Eats pickup functionality in geofenced areas, allowing customers to order food or drinks at sporting events, concerts, festivals, in malls, or at airports. This geofenced mobile ordering system is an extension of the delivery platform built for Uber Eats but leverages the on-demand delivery and pickup platform for food, drinks, and merchandise within specific venues.

“We are excited about the launch of Uber Live as we are able to take the food shopping experience to the next level for attendees at large events such as festivals, concerts or sporting celebrations, eliminating endless queues to allow our users to enjoy the event to the fullest."

The service will use existing technology and back-end infrastructure, which means there will be no need to download a different app to make use it.

Uber also announced the launch of Uber Store Pick-Ups, which would enable users to book a delivery person to collect any prepaid items from any store. In addition, Uber is expanding Uber Van to Cape Town, its luxury rideshare offering Uber Black to Durban, and the addition of Reserve Airport Pickup for its UberX, Uber Comfort, and Uber XL rides. 

“We're a global company, and the benefit of that is that we're able to leverage research and development technology products that are available in diverse markets, but very local also, and ensure that they are adapted and implemented in a way that makes sense for consumers in the market,” Khaole said.