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Uber UK

Uber wants to become a logistics firm by transporting everything, not just people

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By John McCarthy | Opinion Editor

November 23, 2015 | 2 min read

Uber has a diverse future ahead of it, way beyond merely serving as a mobile-friendly taxi service.

Jo Bertram, Uber regional general manager for the UK, Ireland and Nordics, said that the company wants to move more than just people, connecting consumers with goods in a move more akin to a logistics company than a ride-hailing app.

Channelling data, the company seeks to provide partners (such as retailers, restaurants and various vendors) with real time information on deliveries in a bid to make inner-city transport all-the-more efficient.

Speaking at the Wired Retail conference, Bertam said: “Our mission is to make getting anything in your city more convenient, affordable and reliable than picking it up yourself.

"We already provide the ability to get a car at the touch of a button. Now imagine if you could use that same network of drivers and allow you to also get other things."

Aiming at using its substantial wealth of global drivers to ship more than just people remains ambitious, but Uber is looking to leverage real time data to encourage ride-sharing and journey multitasking from drivers. Hinting at drivers delivering goods while ferrying a passenger, Bertram concluded: "Imagine if you could combine UberPool and UberRush?"

Uber delivery schemes have been piloted in the UK in the past year more as a test of infrastructure and logistics capability than anything mirroring Uber Rush in New York, which enables the delivery of goods in the region.

Uber UK

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