Uber has announced new products, updates, and features focused on travel, safety and delivery in Kenya.
Uber has announced its expansion into four new towns in Kenya i.e. Eldoret, Nakuru, Naivasha and Kisumu. This means Uber is now available in eight towns across East Africa.
The company has also launched UberXL in Nairobi. This option provides seating for up to 6 people and extra luggage. Uber has also introduced ChapChap Share, a shared rides option that gives up to 30% of savings on trip fares, when a rider is paired with a co-rider.
Imran Manji, Head of East Africa explains: “We are committed to East Africa, a key contributor to the growth of our business in Sub-Saharan Africa. We’re passionate about helping people travel and discover their city with ease and helping drivers increase earning opportunities.”
Uber has also launched Safety Check-up across Africa in order to encourage riders to complete their safety profile by turning on and utilising the available features such as Trusted Contacts, PIN verification and RideCheck.
Uber Eats is rolling out new features across Sub-Saharan Africa such as Item Replacements, which allows consumers to choose the next best item if the original item is out of stock. They have launched Safety Age Verification for customers to scan their IDs to confirm they are of legal age to purchase alcohol and pharmacy items.
Below is an overview of the suite of products to be launched on Uber Eats in Africa.
| Feature | Description |
| Item Replacements | This allows consumers to select the next available item on the app if their preferred item is out of stock. The feature also allows for refund, if preferred. |
| Item Score Availability | Indicates if an item is likely to be out of stock soon so customers have the option to purchase another, similar item, that is more likely to be in-stock. |
| Vertical Landing Pages | An in-app landing page that enables customers to easily find, reorder and discover the supermarket items they love. |
| Reliable Scheduling | Makes placing and modifying scheduled orders intuitive and seamless across the end to end ordering process |
| Price Item by Weight | Enables the listing (and purchase) of items like fresh produce, meats, and prepared foods priced by weight for better order accuracy. |
| Safety Age Verification | A quick and reliable ID barcode scanner to verify if the consumer is of legal age to purchase alcohol or restricted pharmacy items. |