Uber is testing a grocery delivery service in the US, as the firm looks to take successful social taxi service to other sectors.
The new service, dubbed ‘Corner Store’ is available as an option via its main smartphone app and covers more than 100 items.
The products are competitively priced against high street stores, and there is no delivery fee.
This gives consumers the choice of a range of non-perishable items from chewing gum to shaving gel and nappies between 09:00 and 21:00 with no minimum order requirements.
The expansion treads directly on the toes of the likes of Amazon and Google, both of which offer home delivery services of their own in the form of AmazonFresh and Shopping Express – although these remain limited to California/Seattle and San Francisco/New York/Los Angeles for now.
Another firm, Instacart, charges a fee to send “personal shoppers” to pick up and deliver a wide range of goods from selected stores promising a one or two hour turnaround. It operates in several US cities including Connecticut, Atlanta, New York and Philadelphia.
On its blog, Uber says the Corner Store test is only set to last a few weeks, but adds: “The more you love it, the more likely it will last.”
Two categories of products are on offer, with available goods including baby nappies. chewing gum, shaving gel, envelopes and nail polish remover.
Unlike other same-day services, there are no fresh food products, but Uber is inviting users to suggest goods they would like to see added to the list.