Uber has announced its expansion into four new towns in Kenya – Eldoret, Nakuru, Naivasha and Kisumu.
The ride-hailing platform which unveiled new products, updates, and features focused on travel, safety and delivery in Kenya has only been limited to select towns, including Nairobi, Thika, and Mombasa.
But with the latest development, it makes Uber available in eight cities across East Africa.
This means more drivers have access to earning opportunities and more riders an affordable, convenient, and reliable travel solution throughout the region, at the tap of a button.
Further, to help reduce costs for riders and increase demand for drivers, Uber is rolling out ChapChap Share, a shared rides option that gives up to 30pc of savings on trip fares, when a rider is paired with a co-rider.
Imran Manji, Head of East Africa said the company is committed to helping drivers increase earning opportunities.
“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,” Manji said.
Also, the taxi-hailing app has launched a safety Check-up across Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) which will encourage riders to complete their safety profile by turning on and utilising the available features such as Trusted Contacts, PIN verification and RideCheck.
New features for Uber eats
Meanwhile, Uber Eats is rolling out new features such as Item Replacements, which allows consumers to choose the next best item if the original item is out of stock and Safety Age Verification for customers to scan their IDs to confirm they are of legal age to purchase alcohol and pharmacy items.
Kui Mbugua, General Manager for Uber Eats Kenya said the expansion will drive growth.
“With a 67pc year-on-year growth of subscriptions on Eats, we are humbled and encouraged by the expansion that we have seen in South Africa and Kenya,” he noted.
Other new products launched include:
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.
