Launched in 2015, Ube Rush was Uber’s first attempt at rolling out a same-day package delivery service. It allowed Uber users to connect with local businesses and merchants to get almost anything delivered to their doorstep. Uber discontinued this service in June of 2018.
About Uber Rush
Uber came up with the Uber Rush as a service that lets the user request deliveries of items from local merchants. Rush offered multiple benefits over your regular courier service, including
- Same-day delivery of goods
- On-demand services
- Fast delivery via a network of independent delivery partners
- Real-time tracking of the package
- Standard reliability and safety of Uber as part of Uber’s existing infrastructure and fleet
The company piloted the service in three cities — New York City, San Francisco, and Chicago. The service was ideal for sending business documents to an associate or ordering food from a takeaway place that does not provide delivery services. Requesting a Rush required the user to use the Uber mobile application.
How did the offering work?
- Open the Uber app
- Select “Rush” from the “Package” tab
- Proceed by entering the pickup address and enter the destination
- You could now track your package over the built-in map once the delivery partner arrived at the location
- The app enabled you to track the progress of the trip in real-time as well
What was the extra stop feature in this service?
Rush provided the user the flexibility to request more than one stop during the delivery trip. It could be for picking another item on the go. It was a charged feature ($5 per extra stop) and enabled the user to even provide additional instructions if any.
What is the current alternative that Uber is offering in place of Uber Rush?
After shutting down Uber Rush in 2018, Uber rolled out two different on-demand package delivery programs:
These programs are fairly new to the market and were launched in response to the global pandemic.
Uber Connect and Uber Direct are somewhat similar to Uber Rush in the respect that both offer same-day delivery services to the users. However, these new offerings are contactless to ensure the safety of the user and the driver.
Moreover, Uber Connect is concerned with making package deliveries for personal use. That is, you can send a package to your loved ones or friends. On the contrary, Direct enables the user to request deliveries from a select few local retailers. Direct is more similar to Uber Eats in nature as they both involve deliveries of items from a merchant to the user on demand.
Other than Connect and Direct, which are offerings for one-off deliveries of small packages around the city, Uber further expanded its delivery offerings with Uber Freight. Freight by Uber connects shippers and carriers by matching them with ideal loads.
Why did Uber shut down Rush?
There were no official comments on the reason behind discontinuing Uber Rush. However, Uber was trying to encourage the adoption of Uber Eats by restaurants and Rush posed a hindrance to the same. Restaurants could make use of the delivery service to get their orders delivered to their customers.