Send Packages To Nearby Friends Using Uber Connect

As we continue to physically distance, we’re all looking for ways to stay connected with our loved ones and colleagues. We can see each other on Zoom, but what about sending gifts or care packages? Right now, attempting to get to a post office or send out a package to anyone seems both time-consuming and potentially dangerous. And items are taking longer to reach their destination. I sent someone a children’s book at the end of March and they received it last week—a month later.

Uber just launched a same-day delivery initiative called Uber Connect in selected cities around the world. The cost for the service is the same as if you took an Uber ride from your house to the package’s destination.

How Uber Connect works

Let’s say you want to send your famous lasagna to a cousin on the other side of town. Just open your Uber app, choose Uber Connect in the part of the app that shows the different options for ride-sharing (Uber Select, UberX, etc.), and enter the package’s destination. (You can also find Uber Connect through the UberEats app.) When the driver arrives, they will open their trunk and you place your goods inside. When the driver arrives at the desired destination, the recipient will take the items or package out of the truck. It’s a completely contactless exchange.

Lifehacker Australia understands the value of the package must be less than $100 per trip and it has to be under 20 kilograms. It’ll also can’t be any of the following items: alcohol, pharmaceutical products, medications, tobacco products, explosives, weapons, and hazardous, illegal or stolen goods.

Currently, Uber Connect is only available in the following Australian cities:

  • Melbourne
  • Brisbane
  • Gold Coast
  • Adelaide
  • Perth

It makes sense that Uber would make attempts to generate as much income as they can, after they suffered a huge hit in revenue for the first quarter of 2020. 


Additional reporting by Lifehacker Australia.

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