Uber expands to Kisumu, Eldoret, Nakuru; introduces new features

Dickson Otieno September 6, 2022

0 2 minutes read

Uber expands to more cities in Kenya
Uber XL is now available in Nairobi
Uber ChapChap Share is now available
Uber Safety Check Up is now being encouraged
Uber Eats has 6 new safety features

Uber has today announced new products, updates, and features focused on travel, safety and delivery in Kenya. First of all, the company has announced its services will be expanding to four new places: Kisumu City, Nakuru City, Naivasha and Eldoret towns. This makes Uber now available in eight East African cities.

The second new thing is Uber XL is now available in Nairobi. Uber XL allows for 6 people and extra baggage.

The third new thing is that Uber is now rolling out ChapChap Share an option that allows for a shared ride that gives you up to 30% savings of trip fares when a rider is paired with a co-rider.

The fourth new thing is Uber is also rolling out Safety Check Up 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 Ride Check.

For Uber Eats, the company’s food delivery service, there are 6 new features being introduced. These are as follows:

Feature	Description
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.

What they said:

Imran Manji, Head of East Africa explains: “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.”

Kui Mbugua, General Manager for Uber Eats Kenya says, ‘With a 67% 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.