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Uber Eats will begin accepting food stamps for grocery deliveries in 2024
Starting next year, users will be able to pay for fresh groceries using their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits from right within the Uber Eats app.
Tipping point: The gig economy hits delivery drivers in their wallets
Tipping is ubiquitous to the American service industry with consumers encouraged to give "a little something extra" to their waiters, bartenders, and baristas, dry cleaners, dog-walkers and delivery drivers. But it wasn't always like this. The practice of tipping started in England and made its way to our shores at the turn of the 18th century where it met strident social opposition. Deemed the "vilest of imported vices" by an 1899 NYT op-ed, anti-tipping sentiment reached its peak in 1915 when six states outlawed the practice outright. Since then, tipping has grown into the status quo, so much so that restaurants are allowed to pay their tipped staff less than the federal minimum wage and nobody even bats an eye, though the practice is once again falling out of favor -- this time at the hands of the gig economy.
Uber has more than 100 million users, but is still losing money
Uber might seem ubiquitous, but the ridesharing company is still growing, it reported in its quarterly earnings. In July, more than 100 million people took Ubers or used the company's services. That's the first time it hit that monthly milestone. Trips rose 35 percent in Q2 compared with the previous year, up to 1.67 billion. Revenue is up as well. At $3.17 billion, it rose 14 percent year-over-year, though it was lower than the expected figure of $3.36 billion and growth is slowed overall.
Uber tests a $25 Pass that covers Eats and transportation
Uber is testing a subscription option that offers all-inclusive or discounted access to all its services. It's trialing a few variants of the plan in Chicago and San Francisco. All of them include trips on Jump e-bikes and scooters at no extra cost, free Uber Eats deliveries and a fixed discount on Uber rides for $24.99/month. In other locales, Uber is testing cheaper passes that include free Uber Eats deliveries above a certain order threshold as well as discounted rides.
Uber experiment allows Eats orders from the main app
Uber has started rolling out an experimental version of its app that was made to persuade its main service's customers to try its food delivery business. The company has confirmed to TechCrunch that it has embedded a webview version of Eats into the main Uber app for some markets. Uber seems to have added a rather conspicuous Eats button at the top right corner of its map for test markets. Clicking on that button summons Eats from within the application, allowing riders to order food without having to fire up the standalone Uber Eats app.
Uber Eats improves order tracking so you can see where your pizza is
Uber Eats is rolling out a redesign and new features to help you track your meal from the second you tap the order button until it's on your plate or in front of you in the container (no judgment here). Improved tracking will help you monitor the whole process, including the restaurant preparing your order, your courier's route to the pickup and their route to your home or office.
Starbucks expands Uber Eats deliveries across the US
Starbucks is relentless in its mission to make it as easy as possible for you to get its coffee. It's long let you order your drinks for pick up through its app and now, depending on where you live, you'll be able to have a cup of joe dropped at your doorstep because the coffee giant is offering deliveries in more US cities through Uber Eats.
Starbucks will offer Uber Eats delivery from more than 2,000 US stores
It might be almost too easy to get a Starbucks fix in the near future. In the wake of trials, the coffee giant will offer delivery through Uber Eats from over 2,000 US stores (roughly a quarter of its footprint in the country) in early 2019. The company hasn't detailed pricing or selection, but there's a good possibility that a grande mocha latte will be just a few taps away.
Uber Eats makes it easier to expense business lunch
If you're pulling an all-nighter at the office, it's easy enough to reach for your phone and grab something from Uber Eats. It's a popular thing to do, too, with corporate expense platforms seeing Eats requests skyrocket over the last year. It's why Uber for Business is now integrating Eats for Business, a new way for companies to keep an eye on, and control, what you're ordering.
Uber's drone-based food delivery could begin in 2021
At this year's Uber Elevate Summit in May, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi discussed the possibility of a drone-based food delivery service. Now, it looks like a job posting has hinted that the company is looking to launch the service by 2021.
Uber launches its safety hub for European passengers
Uber's recent safety push is spreading to Europe. The ridesharing service is launching a safety center in its app for the UK and 23 other European countries to provide many of the safeguards that launched stateside earlier in the year. You can share trip details with trusted contacts, quickly access emergency services and read safety-related info like GPS tracking policies and customer support options. It will also anonymize pickup and drop-off locations for drivers, and UK users will also have the choice of two-factor authentication to add a layer of security.
Uber will halt Walmart grocery deliveries next month
In 2016, Walmart announced that it would be teaming up with Uber and Lyft for grocery deliveries. Though the trial with Lyft never broke out of its initial Denver test market, Walmart's partnership with Uber expanded from Phoenix to Tampa, Dallas and Orlando. But that's now coming to a close, Reuters reports, as Uber has ended the grocery delivery partnership, effective June 30th.
Uber acquires David Chang’s delivery-only ‘restaurant’
Today, Ando, the popular delivery-only New York restaurant from famed Momofuku chef David Chang, shut down operations, as it's been acquired by UberEATS. The restaurant had been working with UberEATS since it launched in 2016, and now it will be fully integrating with the food delivery service.
Uber Eats offers insurance for its European couriers
Uber Eats only just turned two years old, but like other "gig economy" businesses, it's facing scrutiny over how it classifies workers. In Europe, the company is partnering with Axa to offer couriers an insurance package that covers accidents, hospitalization, property damage and third-party injury across nine countries. Starting January 8th next year, the company says all couriers with an active account -- even if they work for a third-party -- will be covered, and Uber is paying for it. Filip Nuytemans, the Uber Eats general manager for Europe said in a statement that "Uber Eats couriers can now enjoy the freedom and flexibility of working on their own schedule with the peace of mind provided by additional security and protection." On its face, that's a bit friendlier than Deliveroo's offer in the UK, but it's still not making everyone happy. Independent Workers of Great Britain union couriers and logistics secretary Jim Benfield told TechCrunch the move was a publicity stunt, and said that "The offer to cover hospital costs is also meaningless in the UK, where healthcare is free at the point of use. Furthermore, this health insurance will only cover medical costs when injuries are sustained while doing a delivery and doesn't cover the endless hours couriers spend logged on to the app desperately waiting for jobs."
Wendy’s will deliver your next Baconator through DoorDash
Starting today, you'll be able to get Wendy's delivered right to your door as the chain is now partnering exclusively with DoorDash. At launch, the delivery service is available in 48 markets nationwide. Wendy's and DoorDash piloted the program earlier this year in Columbus, Ohio and Dallas, Texas and the restaurant chain said that the Baconator and Frosty were popular items during the test.
UberEATS now includes restaurant ratings and recommended dishes
Today, Uber announced a few changes to the UberEATS app aimed at helping users decide on what to eat. First, the company has brought a five-star rating system to the restaurants listed in the app and users can now rate a restaurant they've ordered from as well as give individual dishes a thumbs up or a thumbs down. All of these community ratings are displayed in the app for anyone to see and they'll reflect the previous 90 days' data.
Uber's more flexible driver policies promise fewer cancelled rides
If you've used Uber long enough, you've probably encountered drivers who've canceled trips simply because they weren't convenient. They didn't want to travel far or had an appointment to make, for instance. You might not have to put up with those surprise cancellations quite so often in the future, though. As part of its "180 days of change" initiative, Uber is providing drivers with more flexibility that promises to have a positive side effect for passengers -- you should get more drivers who actually want to ferry you from point A to point B.
Just Eat is trialling restaurant deliveries like Deliveroo
For the longest time, all takeaway sites were the same. You searched by post code or cuisine type and then browsed the businesses listed in your local area. Then Deliveroo came along with its army of couriers and the promise of big-name restaurant food, like Byron, PizzaExpress and Strada. A wave of copycats followed, including Amazon and Uber, luring customers away from traditional takeaway websites like Hungryhouse. It's taken some time, but Just Eat has now admitted it needs to play catch-up. In an interview with the Financial Times, interim CEO Paul Harrison said it was running "some early pilots" with unnamed chain restaurants.
Sweetgreen's iOS app logs calories directly to Apple Health
To this day, Apple Health still lacks a food database, leaving health-conscious iPhone owners with few options. Most people just end up relying on an Apple Health-integrated app, like MyFitnessPal, to tally all their meals. But, let's face it, that can be a pain, especially when it comes to searching for stuff you eat on the fly. However, Sweetgreen has come up with a nifty idea to make life easier for calorie-counters. In what seems to be a first, the restaurant chain's iPhone app lets you send your order's dietary data to Apple Health from your cart.
Uber’s answer to ride-sharing in Russia is a merger
Uber and Yandex, the 'Google of Russia', have agreed to combine their Russian ride-sharing businesses. The move further heralds the slowdown of Uber's global expansion, while it bolsters Yandex's position in its field: the company has invested $100 million into the venture compared to Uber's $225 million, but will own 59.3 percent. Yandex.Taxi chief executive Tigran Khudaverdyan will become the CEO of the combined business. Both companies will work together to provide ride-hailing and food delivery services in Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia and Kazakhstan. Customers can complete their transactions using either the Uber or Yandex app, while driver apps are set to be integrated once the merger is complete at the end of the year.
