Uber launches food delivery app UberEATS in India

The app that has been currently launched in Mumbai, allows consumers to schedule orders, curate restaurants, personalise taste preferences and dietary restrictions; and track the delivery on the app.

In a recent development, Uber has launched food delivery app UberEats in India. The app helps bring food to consumers in a convenient and reliable manner. The services of this app are currently only available for the residents of Mumbai. Uber has plans to expand UberEATS to other cities in the near future.

Commenting on the launch, BhavikRathod, head of UberEATS India, says in a press release, "Mumbai is home to a booming food industry with a vibrant food culture offering both global and local cuisines. The introduction of UberEATS in India, with Mumbai as the first city, is a major step in our global expansion and showcases our commitment to the region. The app brings the perfect pairing of amazing restaurant partners, innovative technology, and the efficient Uber delivery network at a tap of a button to people in India. The wide selection of meal choices delivered at Uber speed will open new economic opportunities for delivery partners, enable restaurants to connect with more consumers and make eating effortless, everywhere and for everyone."

UberEATS was started in 2014 as a small delivery pilot in Los Angeles and launched as a separate application in Toronto in December 2015. In the past 18 months, it has grown and the app is available in 26 countries and in 78 cities around the globe, including India.

Kartik Murthy, product manager, UberEATS, internationationalisation & growth, says in a press release, "A little over a year ago, we set out to make food delivery--from pizza to smoothies-- through the UberEATS app as convenient and reliable as getting an Uber ride. As we have expanded UberEATS, we have been building the technology to make food delivery at the push of a button easy wherever you are--whether it is at home or the park, in Mumbai or San Francisco. That is why we are working specifically to make the challenges in India opportunities for developing a better product for consumers, restaurants, and delivery partners."

He adds, "For example, for consumers, we are using machine learning to surface restaurant recommendations, as well as integrating popular payment options to make transactions easy; for restaurants, we developed a tool - Restaurant Manager - to share actionable data and analytics to help grow their businesses; and for delivery partners, we have built the ability for them to complete trips even when offline in low connectivity areas. We look forward to continuing to learn from our experience in India and build the technology that makes food delivery effortless for everyone."

UberEATS has been launched in Mumbai in partnership with more than 200 restaurant partners, including local players like The Bohri Kitchen, Nom Nom, The Bombay Canteen, The Good Wife, Fresh Menu, Le 15, Coffee By Di Bella and global names like Krispy Kreme, Chillies, etc.

Consumers will be able to order seven days a week, round the clock, as long as the restaurants are operational, through the app. The UberEATS app is separate to the Uber app people use to request a ride and has been built specifically to make food delivery as seamless as possible. Starting today, consumers can download the new app for iOS and android from the iTunes/Google play store or go online at ubereats.com.

Food prices are set by restaurant partners according to their own menu and there's a delivery fee of INR 15, inclusive of taxes. There is no minimum order size.