Uber, is set to launch its first electric vehicle-based service in South Africa, known as Uber Package. This…
Uber, is set to launch its first electric vehicle-based service in South Africa, known as Uber Package. This service, formerly named ‘Uber Connect‘, allows users to book same-day pickup and delivery of packages within a single geographical area. The company plans to roll out this service in Cape Town in December 2023, with a full transition to electric vehicles for delivery. Johannesburg is scheduled to follow suit in February 2024.
One of the highlights of this new initiative is the introduction of fully electric scooters for the service. These scooters feature hot-swappable battery packs, offering two models – one with a 1.5kWh battery, 90km range, and a top speed of 55km/h, and another with a 4kWh battery, 110km range, and a maximum speed of 95km/h.
With this latest innovation, drivers can quickly swap out depleted batteries for charged ones at designated battery lockers, taking less than a minute. This concept is reminiscent of Taiwan’s Gogoro’s battery-swapping platform for urban electric scooters.
The company’s transition to electric vehicles in South Africa is a key step towards its global target of becoming a zero-emission platform by 2040. This announcement coincides with the celebration of its 10th anniversary in South Africa and the introduction of several other new products and services.
These include Uber Store Pickups, Uber Van service expansion to Cape Town, the introduction of Uber Black in Durban, and the expansion of the Reserve Airport Pickup feature. The e-hailing company also unveiled Uber Eats Live, a service that allows users to place delivery orders from locations such as airports, sports stadiums, concert venues, and music festivals.
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In addition to these new offerings, Uber shared some interesting statistics about its platform’s usage in South Africa. These include the most significant distance travelled by a single rider, the most popular drop-off destination, the peak time for ride requests, the most substantial rider tip, common items left behind in Uber vehicles, the top nationalities using the service, the most popular travel day, and the total distance covered by the company’s rides in the country.
With these, it appears the e-hailing company is making significant strides in South Africa’s transportation and delivery services with a focus on sustainability and customer convenience.
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Revealing insights: A closer look at Uber’s impact on South African mobility and beyond
The e-hailing statistics regarding the trips booked on its platform in South Africa include the fact that the longest journey by a single rider reached an impressive 813.35 kilometres. The most frequently chosen drop-off destination was OR Tambo International Airport, and the peak time for requesting rides was 14:00. Notably, one rider left the largest tip of R8,816.
Additionally, common items often forgotten by passengers in the company’s vehicles were keys and phones. The top three nationalities contributing to the highest number of trips in South Africa were the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany. Furthermore, it was observed that Friday emerged as the most popular day for travel.
To put the scale of their service into perspective, the cumulative distance covered by Uber rides in South Africa was equivalent to the distance of 2,300 trips from Earth to the Moon, amounting to an astonishing 1.77 billion kilometres. Finally, the platform saw an impressive number of ride bookings, enough to fill up FNB Stadium 78 times, totalling 7.39 million people.
The e-hailing’s commitment to sustainability and expansion of services in South Africa exemplifies the company’s adaptability and underlines the transformative impact it has had on the transportation and delivery landscape in the region.
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