Uber Eats has taken a big step in electrifying deliveries for its active couriers using the food delivery app in Sweden.
Couriers for Uber Eats will soon be able to access a vehicle marketplace where they can buy, rent or lease electric vehicles at favourable prices from operators Keego Mobility, Movs, Rawbike and Cake.
Fredric Dahlblom, Acting Head of Sweden for Uber Eats told Zag Daily that the vehicle marketplace summarises all the available deals right in the app. Active delivery partners can access the deals through the driver app which then funnels them to the supplier’s (partners) website where the transaction can take place.
“The future of all types of mobility is electric, and that includes the delivery market,” said Dahlblom.
“We are very proud to partner with industry leaders to support couriers in the important transition to electrified delivery services. There is a huge benefit to society that more vehicles are electric, and to achieve that there needs to be affordable alternatives. These partnerships are an important step for us to contribute to that.”
The announcement comes after Uber made an ambitious sustainability pledge, with the goal that 100% of all couriers using the Uber Eats app will use zero-emission vehicles globally by 2040.
Keego’s Pilot
In March, Keego Mobility was contacted by Uber Eats Head of Sustainability who said that they want to run a pilot in Stockholm that would give its couriers access to Keego’s KG4 delivery e-bike.
Keego offered the KG4 to four couriers over three weeks, and provided a central hub in the city where couriers could leave their bikes to charge overnight after finishing a shift.
Fitted with two batteries, the KG4 has a range of 100 km and comes with front and rear racks that can carry up to 65 kg of cargo.
Saad Nazir, one of the Uber Eats Delivery Couriers in Stockholm, told Zag: “I have been an Uber Eats Delivery Partner for two years now and for the last month I have used my Keego Mobility KG4. Using this delivery e-bike is really great. I can easily take even the heaviest of orders, I can quickly and comfortably get from the restaurant to the customer and the battery lasts my whole shift. The e-bike costs less to operate so I earn more money compared to using my old moped while I make sure to leave a cleaner world behind for my children.”
Elias Ek, Co-Founder of Keego, told Zag: “A real selling point of our e-bike is that is can take 65 kilograms of cargo, so if somebody says ‘I need 10 litres of Coca-Cola or a big order of beers, the courier can say ‘hey no problem, we’ll load that up for you’.
“Next month we’re going to have several events in Stockholm where we invite couriers to come and test the e-bike. I’m very optimistic that we’re going to start seeing a lot of uptake here because this is exactly what the KG4 was designed for.”
Swedish manufacturer Cake is another partner that has been selected to be listed on Uber’s marketplace.
“At CAKE, it’s all about inspiring a zero-emissions society, and we’re incredibly excited to partner with Uber Eats to help couriers transition to electric vehicles,” said Alex Jonsson, Global B2B Director at Cake. “The marketplace will enable us to reach couriers directly with the right incentives to help them transition from internal combustion engines to electric mopeds.”
