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Uber CEO: We'll Run Your Errands

Posted by samzenpus on from the filling-in-the-gaps dept.

mpicpp writes with Uber's latest plans for expansion. The future of Uber is about pharmacies and rickshaws. So says CEO Travis Kalanick. One of several avenues for expansion is in a category of delivery that's about running errands. "In Los Angeles, we're doing something called Uber Fresh, which is you push a button and you get a lunch in five minutes," Kalanick told CNN's Fareed Zakaria. "In DC, we're doing Uber Corner Store. So imagine all the things you get at a corner store...FedEx isn't going to your nearest pharmacy and delivering something to you in five minutes," he continued. Another is in emerging markets, where the company may focus on rickshaws, rather than high-end black cars, Kalanick said.

3 of 139 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Urban Fetch by captainClassLoader · · Score: 4, Informative

    The documentary about Kosmo.com, e-Dreams, is both fascinating and painful to watch. These guys went through a breathtakingly huge pile of money in a very short time, trying to do exactly this sort of personalized delivery. It gives you a real feel for how truly insane VC funding was in the late '90s. Maybe Kalanick should check this film out before putting too much effort into this idea.

    --
    "The plural of anecdote is not data" -- Bruce Schneier
  2. Re:Uber Fresh? by alphazulu0 · · Score: 3, Informative

    Uber Fresh is very limited. It's only available in certain parts of West Los Angeles and only one food choice per day. So no going to Subway and no telling them what you want in your sub.

    However, if you want a sub, just be in West LA on Weds and they'll bring you a Godmother from Bay Cities Italian Deli. It's widely considered the best sandwich in LA.

    http://blog.uber.com/uberfresh...

  3. Re:Uber Fresh? by CanHasDIY · · Score: 4, Informative

    And you trust the cashier making $3 an hour after taxes not to be stealing your controlled substances?

    So long as the bags are sealed in the pharmacy and the contents are not noted on the outside, it should be fine.

    Where the hell are you shopping, where your scripts are divvied out by the teenager running the check-out lane???

    I get my scripts from, you know, a pharmacist, who makes a hell of a lot more than $3/hr.

    --
    An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese