In addition to their app-oriented car service called Uber, the company has recently announced its Uber Rush. They promise to let “your packages travel like a VIP.”
Starting in Manhattan, their plan is to be like a typical courier service. The user uses an app to call up the vehicle and to get a price quote. The courier then arrives and takes the item from one point to another. The service isn’t for the purchase of items, such as a lunch. Rather, it is to take items that have already been purchased from one location to the next.
The plan with Uber is to take 20% of the price that the drivers charge. And prices appear to be in the $20-$25 range. Drivers for Uber have to be at least 23, to be properly licensed and insured and to have had a background check. Uber says that Rush will expand to other areas of New York after confirming their success with the initial testing phase.
There are a few other companies that have had success in this realm such as Ebay Now that promises to deliver products from local stores in less than 2 hours for $5 and the Postmates app that offers food and goods that will be delivered starting at $5.
Time will tell how Uber Rush will do, but it’s worth keeping in eye on as it is rolled out in New York.