Uber has announced their intention to launch UberEats, their on-demand food delivery service, in Johannesburg before December.
In June, we reported that Uber was bringing UberEverything to South Africa (UberEverything is the name of the service that comprises both UberEats and courier service, UberRush) and it seems they’re starting with Johannesburg first.
According to Uber General Manager, Sub-Saharan Africa, Alon Lits, “Johannesburg will be the first city where we launch in South Africa. We do have plans to launch in Cape Town. Once we open in Johannesburg, in a later wave, we will expand the product offering to Pretoria. Thereafter, we will explore launches in our other [local] cities”
UberEats launched in 2014 and it’s currently available in 29 cities – 21 in the US, 3 in Canada (Ottawa, Toronto and Edmonton), 2 in Australia (Melbourne and Sydney), and 1 in Singapore, UK (London) and France (Paris) each. It works through partnerships with local restaurants and this allows users get their meals delivered from restaurants in their areas within 10 minutes.
Emphasis on “restaurants in their areas” because users won’t be allowed to order from restaurants in other parts of town. Alon Lits says, “It is geo-located, so if you are in Sandton and your favourite restaurant is in Braamfontein, you may not be able to select it.”
As usual, Uber is hiring in preparation for the launch. The list of available roles in South Africa on Uber’s site shows openings for General Manager, Marketing Manager, Operations Manager (Courier), Operations Manager (Restaurants), and Restaurants Partnerships Manager for UberEATS in both Johannesburg and Cape Town
