Uber Expands Into New Areas With All Partnership

Uber was founded in 2009 in San Francisco by Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp and has become one of the most well-known companies in the urban mobility field. With an easy-to-use application, Uber revolutionized the way people move around cities.

The company offers different transportation options such as UberX, UberPOOL, and UberBLACK, present in over 900 cities worldwide. Despite the success, Uber has faced many controversies for its business policies and the way it manages its drivers. However, the company has continued to grow and expand its services.

Uber’s New Directions

Uber, the ride-sharing giant that revolutionized the transportation industry, has been expanding its business in new directions in recent years. The company’s mission is to “ignite opportunity by setting the world in motion,” and it has been doing just that by diversifying its offerings and exploring new markets.

In this article, we’ll explore some of the new directions Uber is taking, including food delivery, freight, and electric bikes and scooters.

1. Food Delivery

Uber Eats, the company’s food delivery service, is quickly becoming one of its most important business lines. Launched in 2014 in Los Angeles, the service has expanded rapidly and is now available in over 500 cities worldwide. In 2020, Uber Eats brought in $4.8 billion in revenue, a 70% increase from the previous year.

The COVID-19 pandemic, which forced many restaurants to shut down their dining rooms, has been a major driver of this growth, as more people have turned to delivery to get their meals.

Uber Eats has been expanding its offerings beyond traditional restaurant delivery. In 2019, the company acquired a majority stake in Cornershop, a Chilean grocery delivery startup. The following year, it launched an on-demand grocery delivery service in select cities in the United States, partnering with retailers like Walmart and Albertsons.

The company is also experimenting with other types of delivery, such as medication and convenience store items, through partnerships with companies like NimbleRx and GoPuff.

2. Uber Freight

In 2017, Uber launched Uber Freight, a digital platform that connects shippers with truck drivers. The service aims to make the freight industry more efficient by eliminating middlemen and providing real-time pricing and tracking. Uber Freight has seen rapid growth since its launch, and the company plans to expand it globally in the coming years.

Uber Freight has also been experimenting with autonomous trucking technology. In 2016, the company acquired the self-driving truck startup Otto, and it has since been testing autonomous trucks on highways in Arizona.

The company has also been working on a system that allows truck drivers to take breaks without stopping their vehicles, which it calls “Continuous Dock-to-Dock.”

3. Electric Bikes and Scooters

In 2018, Uber made a major move into the micro-mobility space with its acquisition of Jump, a bike-share startup. The acquisition gave the company access to Jump’s fleet of electric bikes, which were already available in a handful of cities in the United States and Europe. The company quickly expanded the service to more cities and added electric scooters to its offerings as well.

Uber’s electric bikes and scooters are available for rent through the Uber app, making them a convenient and affordable way for people to get around cities. The company has also been working to make the service more sustainable by partnering with cities to increase the availability of bike lanes and charging infrastructure.

In 2020, the company committed to becoming a fully electric mobility platform in Europe by 2025 and in North America by 2030.

4. Autonomous vehicles

One of the most exciting new directions that Uber is pursuing is the development of autonomous vehicles. The company has been investing heavily in this technology and has been testing self-driving cars in several cities around the world.

While there have been some setbacks in this area, including a fatal accident involving an Uber self-driving car in 2018, the company remains committed to the technology. In fact, in 2020, the company announced that it would be partnering with Aurora, a leading autonomous vehicle company, to develop and deploy self-driving cars on the company platform.

If successful, autonomous vehicles could revolutionize the ride-hailing industry, making it more efficient and less reliant on human drivers.

5. Public transportation partnerships

In addition to its core businesses, Uber has also been exploring partnerships with public transportation agencies. In 2020, the company announced a partnership with Marin Transit, a public transportation agency in Marin County, California, to offer on-demand transit services to residents.

Under this partnership, Marin Transit riders can use the Uber app to book a ride on one of Marin Transit’s micro transit vehicles. This service provides a more convenient and flexible option for riders, while also helping to reduce congestion on the roads.

The company has also been exploring partnerships with other public transportation agencies around the world, intending to provide more integrated and seamless transportation options for riders.

6. Uber for Business

Finally, Uber has been expanding its offerings for business customers with its “Uber for Business” platform. This platform allows companies to easily manage and pay for their employees’ Uber rides, providing a more streamlined and cost-effective option for corporate travel.

Uber for Business has been growing rapidly, with more than 65,000 businesses now using the platform. The company has also been expanding its offerings for business customers, including the launch of “Uber Vouchers” which allow businesses to offer free or discounted rides to their customers.