Will Uber Rush reinvent retail same day delivery?

Same Day Delivery services for retailers in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago may be looking at a major change with the addition of Uber Rush. Throughout this year, it has been rumored that Uber is experimenting with more wide-scale local same day delivery options that would target both retailers and the public at large.

If Uber is even close to being as successful with retail same day deliveries as they have been in changing the traditional taxi market, it could be a game changer allowing smaller companies to compete more effectively with the large-scale operations of Amazon, Target and Macy's. Each of these companies has aggressively pursued the same day market this year and Uber could offer an affordable method for small and independent businesses to fight back and secure a piece of the growing consumer demand for same day services.

Uber Rush will provide local merchants with the opportunity to connect to a network of delivery drivers allowing them access to essentially on-demand delivery services for smaller goods and packages. The company has been experimenting with Same Day services in New York and now plan to expand to San Francisco and Chicago with Los Angeles likely to be added very soon after.

Uber is providing some pricing information via their Uber Rush page with delivery costs varying dependent on the city but typically $5 to $6 within one mile and an additional $2-$5 for each additional mile. Both the shipper and recipient will be able to track the delivery in real time. With so many variables and moving parts, it will be interesting to see how well the services are received and whether a model that is structured to provide taxi services will modify effectively as a delivery service. For example, how many shipments may be combined and will that lead to delays, how well will drivers handle sensitive cargo. The answers these and additional questions remains to be seen.

By contrast, at Same Day Delivery we specialize in business to business same day delivery of commercial freight for deliveries of several hundred miles and beyond, ensuring urgent freight is delivered via expedited services as rapidly as possible via dedicated ground vehicles ranging from cargo vans to straight trucks. Our national coverage allows urgent dispatch for either same day trucking or overnight freight depending on the distances involved or even same day air when only the quickest option will work.