Uber Eats steps it up for delivery people and launches a new grocery store for consumers

Uber Eats South Africa published the results of its 2022 Earners Survey, which showed that 88% of delivery people use the platform as a primary source of earnings. The innovations and interventions that Uber Eats continue to deliver for delivery people have borne fruit; where the two main reasons why they choose to operate their business on the Uber Eats App includes the flexibility and freedom that comes with being an independent contractor (86%); and the economic opportunity it brings (65%).

Charles Mhango, Head of Operations for Uber Eats Sub-Saharan Africa says, “The feedback from delivery people is one of our biggest sources to understanding the realities that they face. It also helps us to be responsive in a way that is meaningful to them. This year’s survey is significant because it came at a time when we implemented various features and initiatives as our way of optimising the platform to best suit the needs of delivery people. Some of these include price increases to help with the rising cost of living, new and improved safety interventions, as well partnering with industry-leading organisations to further improve earnings.”

One such organisation is top box delivery bike media advertiser MotionAds, which provides delivery people with an opportunity to earn more money through top box advertising in South Africa. Since the initiative went live in April 2022, Uber Eats has seen a 232% uptake rate of delivery people who have opted in, with over R1,9 million of revenue earned by delivery people. Available in six cities across South Africa, these branded top boxes have travelled 6,8 million kilometres to give leading brands additional exposure.

Mhango adds, “We are humbled by the positive feedback from delivery people on our continuous efforts to maximise their earnings. While we are proud of the strides made, we know there is still a lot more work to do. We will be launching an exciting programme for delivery people this December called Uber Eats Pro. The programme is designed to recognise their efforts by rewarding them with points that may eventually be redeemed.”

Uber Eats says safety continues to be a priority and one way they use the insights is to intimately understand the areas of improvement. In addition to supporting the earning generation capabilities of delivery people and helping them get the most out of their time on the road, Uber Eats understands that they face numerous risks and challenges. While delivery people have indicated through the survey that they feel safer and know about the safety features, Uber Eats is determined to continue addressing safety risks.

To counter these risks, the business has over time implemented some industry-leading safety features including an In-App private emergency assistance button, helmet detection, Safety Checklist,  and 24/7 in-app support.

“Additionally, delivery people have Partner Injury Protection provided by AIG Insurance which provides on-trip cover from the time of acceptance of a delivery request. They also have access to the Emergency Contacts feature, which will be used by Uber’s Incident Response Team to contact the delivery person's next of kin in case of an accident and/or for insurance purposes”, confirms Mhango.

New grocery store launches nationwide