As part of an innovation program, the company intends to use drones to facilitate ultra-fast food deliveries

Leer en español: ¿Lluvia de hamburguesas? Lo que debe saber sobre la nueva forma de Uber para entregar domicilios

Dara Khosrowsha, CEO of Uber Technologies Inc, announced on May 9 that, as part of a program approved by the US federal government for innovation, the company will transport food with drones.
According to El Espectador, Khosrowshahi said that customers could wait for the delivery of their order in a range of between 5 and 30 minutes, depending on whether delivered by phone or a person. "Press a button and get your food at the door," she said.

"I think one of the keys to solving the problems of mobility in cities was flying hamburgers," joked Khosrowshahi at a recent event of Uber, the world's largest operator in the home-based food sector. For him, the drones will facilitate the ultrafast deliveries of food.

The US Department of Transportation said it chose 10 states, local and communities, and a group of companies, including Alphabet Inc., FedEX Corp., Intel Corp., Qualcomm Inc. and Uber, to work together on a test of the commercial use of drones.

Diario Financiero reports that Uber is considering using vertical take-off and landing electric aircraft. It is projected that they fly more than 1000 feet at a speed between 240 and 320 kilometers per hour. The company expects to be able to operate this service commercially in 2023.

These air cars are not being manufactured by Uber, but the company is securing companies with companies, as well as government agencies such as NASA or the US military, with the hope that pilot programs will begin in 2020.

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The tests, however, have been suspended since March after one of Uber's autonomous vehicles ran over and killed a pedestrian from Tempe, Arizona. Khosrowshahi said he expected tests to resume in "the next few months," after the National Security Council concluded its investigation. The executive assured that Uber is cooperating with the consultations.

In addition, according to El Espectador, Khosrowshahi emphasized Uber's commitment to the development of electric bicycles, after acquiring Jump Bikes last month. The business competes with several emerging companies financed with risk capital and offering similar services for the rental of small bicycles and motorcycles in cities through an application. "If there is a combination of economic conditions and technology, our appetite for investing in infinity," he said.

Despite the great advantages of the initiative, Uber is facing great criticism for the labor conditions of the distributors of their products, particularly for the forms of contracting, where all the rights are not fulfilled and which the fear remains without work to verse replaced.

Latin American publication | Luisa Fernanda Báez
Translated from “¿Lluvia de hamburguesas? Lo que debe saber sobre la nueva forma de Uber para entregar domicilios”