Uber Connect Expands For Holiday Package Delivery

Uber Connect, the rideshare giant’s package delivery service, is being rolled out to new locations in more than 2,400 U.S. cities and towns to enable people to send and receive gifts, treats or whatever else they need.

“Connect can help deliver holiday cheer even if we’re apart,” Akansha Kumar, product lead at Uber Connect, said in a blog post on Wednesday (Dec. 9).

Originally introduced in April, Uber Connect was redesigned “for more seamless Secret Santa gifting and sharing homemade treats to a loved one across town,” Kumar added.

People can also opt for the “receive a package” option, which lets them ask friends and family to borrow tools, a cup of sugar or a care package, for example. Drivers can communicate with recipients throughout the process and alert them at the time of drop off or pickup. Connect senders and recipients can also track a package’s location and delivery time.

Connect also offers a contactless experience that lets customers meet the driver curbside to hand over their packages for delivery. They can track the delivery just like an Uber trip, the blog post indicated.

New U.S. locations recently added for Uber Connect include Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Charleston, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Connecticut, Detroit, Fort Myers-Naples, Hampton Roads, Honolulu, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Milwaukee, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Nashville, New Jersey, the New York City suburbs, Raleigh-Durham, Richmond, Portland, Salt Lake City, Seattle, St. Louis, Tucson and Upstate New York.

This is the moment of truth for eCommerce delivery and fulfillment as the pandemic continues to fuel heightened demand for online shopping and delivery amid the busy holiday season. To help keep up, UPS started imposing shipping restrictions on some large retailers.

Uber shifted its strategy from ridesharing to deliveries when the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in March and upended its business as people locked down. Rides declined 73 percent during the second quarter, while delivery surged 113 percent.

Uber Direct launched in April in select cities to offer delivery of groceries, convenience store items and other goods. At the same time, Uber Connect debuted to facilitate the delivery of packages between friends and family.