Uber May Be Considering Same-Day Delivery

CNET takes a look in the crystal ball to analyze Uber's latest executive hire and what it may mean for the car service. The former head of Google Express, Tom Fallows, joined Uber recently and Uber's CEO has made it no secret that he is in the near-instant delivery business.

While it may seem strange for a car service startup to deliver products, Uber would not be the only company interested. Amazon is rumored to be in talks with taxi-hailing app Flywheel to make deliveries, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.

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hey if Amazon is thinking of cabs, why not Uber?

The only reason this shit has any traction is depressed gas prices and depressed job market.

Either one gives and the barely economically justifiable nonsense will evaporate. If same day courier service for deliveries were economically viable, they'd already "be a thing".

Remember, the whole free-market efficiency .... the efficient things rise to the top?!?

xX_Jack_Carver_Xx said:

The only reason this shit has any traction is depressed gas prices and depressed job market.

Either one gives and the barely economically justifiable nonsense will evaporate

Click to expand...

Gas prices aren't that cheap. UPS drivers cost the employer as much as $100K, their vehicles aren't always the most efficient compared to a 28mpg Honda Odyssey (UPS trucks until replaced with the plastic ones currently get 14mpg), and there's potentially a lot less opportunity cost.

For example, I could have part of the back of my UPS loaded up with small boxes to deliver, someone ordering RAM, iPad, iPhone, video card, steak knifes, all those little nick nacks, and while I'm making my deliveries I still have UBER app on so I can see if there are any fares in the area. I drop off my delivery in that neighborhood, drive somebody from there to point B, then sure enough point B is near enough to another package to drop off.

Unlike a taxi then that is waiting around earning $0 for much of the day, you have far less lost revenue, with a driver that makes way less than a UPS union employee does.

And while you may think, yeah but how the heck is the UBER driver going to remember all of that information... he doesn't HAVE to!

These days you give him a $150 7" 4G tablet to mount in his screen, it automatically via barcode scanner uploads all his deliveries for that day, and while he's doing his rounds it can always easily show him where the closest next package delivery is so he's minimizing the mileage.

Its all about the software.

*dang lack of edit* I meant "back of my Odyssey loaded up with small boxes to deliver that day"

There's a reason why delivery company's have custom made trucks. They have to do a lot of deliveries to break even and make a profit. I can'tr see how that would work unless it's for medical asap type stuff.

xX_Jack_Carver_Xx said:

The only reason this shit has any traction is depressed gas prices and depressed job market.

Either one gives and the barely economically justifiable nonsense will evaporate. If same day courier service for deliveries were economically viable, they'd already "be a thing".

Remember, the whole free-market efficiency .... the efficient things rise to the top?!?

Click to expand...

This has traction because of the government-cabbie complex making taxi service absurd in some parts. And the fact fewer people are trying to live without cars since they suck to be in now and are appliances unless you pay the price of a small house for one.