Uber Connect completes two years helping small businesses

Ride-hailing firm Uber, on Wednesday, announced that Connect, its package delivery line of business, has completed two years of operations, delivering packages across 23 cities and helping drive growth for small businesses around the nation.

The company, in a statement, also revealed that it has covered a distance enough to circumnavigate the earth over 1,100 times in terms of total deliveries through Uber Connect over the last two years.

Nitish Bhushan, Director, Central Operations, Uber India and South Asia, said, “We are thrilled and take pride to have hit the 2-year milestone for Uber Connect. This service helps move what matters, for individuals and businesses. Uber Connect is a prime example of how we are adapting our platform to meet the needs of our communities and is also an extension of our ongoing efforts to provide driver-partners with new earning opportunities.”

Uber Connect, which was launched during the nationwide lockdown in 2020, was initially aimed to help people deliver packages safely from within the comfort of their homes. The company statement further added that throughout the testing times, during the lockdown, Connect was used by people to deliver essential items like medicines and groceries. Uber Connect’s delivery services were also used by small home-run businesses to send packages to customers.

Here are some interesting trends from the Uber Connect’s delivery report:

• The average distance covered for deliveries was 10.4km
• The average distance covered during lockdowns is 9.3km
• The time when Uber Connect witnesses the highest demand - 12 PM to 3 PM
• Cities that send most Uber Connect packages at night (post 10 PM) are Hyderabad, Delhi and Kolkata
• Day of the week with the highest demand across India is Wednesday

Over the two years, Uber Connect has witnessed greatly increased acceptance from customers since launch and has managed 95% higher deliveries in May 2022 than the same period last year.

The company also stated that it has expanded the scope of its Connect services, which serve as a lifeline for many small businesses, to include pharmacies, boutiques, art suppliers, and photocopiers, among others.