Fooddelivery app coming to Auckland
‘‘Uber has confirmed it is bringing UberEATS to Auckland next year.’’
UberEATS is on its way to New Zealand.
Uber have confirmed that the company expect to bring UberEATS to Auckland early next year, but could not provide a launch date.
That confirmation came after five senior job listings with ‘‘UberEATS’’ in the title popped up on Uber’s website.
Uber’s smartphone-driven car service has already launched in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.
Their UberEATS service, which has made it to many of their larger markets, uses Uber’s driver infrastructure to deliver food to customers straight from restaurants.
It operates as a standalone smartphone app for iPhones and Androids. Current Uber drivers in other markets can opt out of delivering food and stick to driving passengers.
The job listings, first spotted by NZME, include a ‘‘Restaurants Operation Manager,’’ who ideally ‘‘won’t stop until we have all the best restaurants on UberEATs!’’
UberEATS wouldn’t be the first online food delivery service in New Zealand, but it could soon be the largest, as longstanding American food-delivery players like Seamless and Postmates have not arrived here either.
The service launched in March 2016 in five cities, including San Francisco and Los Angeles.
It was the first time Uber had launched a new app that operates separately from its well-known car-hailing service.
The original service offered lunchtime delivery only, and users had to choose from a handful of meal options pre-selected by Uber.
As of September 2016 UberEats had launched in 33 cities in six countries, 27 of which are in the United States.
Uber has been in the Government’s firing line recently as it continues to flout laws around Pasenger endorsements.
Many of Uber’s drivers do not hold the endorsement which is required by law.
Uber has been calling on Tansport Minister Simon Bridges to fast track legislation that would loosen the rules around the endorsement.
Bridges has previously threatened to take Uber off the road if they do not start complying.