Close X
Friday, November 8, 2024
ADVT 
National

Uber Raises Stakes As It Aggressively Expands Toronto Food Delivery Service

The Canadian Press, 09 Dec, 2015 12:08 PM
    TORONTO — Uber has chosen the streets of Toronto for its latest experiment in food delivery.
     
    The mobile app company, which has already shaken up the taxi industry, is now quadrupling the operating hours of its UberEats delivery service in the city and rolling out a much wider menu selection from local businesses.
     
    Uber launched a stand-alone UberEats app exclusively in Toronto on Wednesday, first on Apple's iOS devices. Smartphones running Google's Android operating system will get the app on Tuesday.
     
    Users will need to download the new program to access Uber's expanded food service, which offers full menus from more than 100 restaurants in the Toronto area.
     
    With the changes, customers will still be able to tap into Uber's existing short list of menu items — a service it will now call "Instant Delivery" — which delivers a short list of food items in under 10 minutes.
     
    Food off the longer menu will take a bit more time to arrive, as it will be prepared on the spot. Generally food will show up in less than 45 minutes, Cheung said.
     
    Toronto is the only Canadian city where Uber delivers food, and Bowie Cheung, general manager of UberEats in the city, said it's also one of the most popular of the 12 locations in the world where it delivers food.
     
    "It's building a great reputation as a technological hot spot for innovation," he said.
     
     
    "We launched UberEats about seven months ago in Toronto and the reception has been amazing. Customers rave about the service, they love it and it has grown quickly, so it felt like the natural place to launch this app."
     
    Among the new changes in Toronto, hours of delivery will now run from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week, rather than its previous operating hours of 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
     
    Uber's expansion marks the latest change for the rapidly evolving food delivery industry where global online company Just Eat acquired Canadian rival Orderit.ca over the summer.
     
    Around the world, others have also been getting into the food delivery business, including e-commerce giant Amazon, which rolled out a similar service in 20 U.S. cities last month.
     
    UberEats launched in the United States in August 2014 and has operated with a rotating menu of about four meals from a variety of local restaurants.
     
    Uber has also been expanding into other areas of delivery, in some U.S. cities where UberRush ships packages and other goods.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Bank Of Canada Keeps Benchmark Rate At 0.5% With Economy Unfolding As Expected

    Bank Of Canada Keeps Benchmark Rate At 0.5% With Economy Unfolding As Expected
    OTTAWA — The Bank of Canada left its trend-setting interest rate unchanged Wednesday, saying the economy is adjusting as expected to the bite of low commodity prices and weaker-than-anticipated U.S. demand. 

    Bank Of Canada Keeps Benchmark Rate At 0.5% With Economy Unfolding As Expected

    Pickup Trucks Dominate Most-stolen List In Canada

    Pickup Trucks Dominate Most-stolen List In Canada
    TORONTO — An insurance industry association says pickup trucks represent are the hottest vehicle for thieves.

    Pickup Trucks Dominate Most-stolen List In Canada

    Among The Rockettes At Radio City This Year Are 3 Alberta Sisters

    Among The Rockettes At Radio City This Year Are 3 Alberta Sisters
    NEW YORK — The world-famous Rockettes are supposed to look alike, but fans this Christmas might do a double take — and then a triple-take.

    Among The Rockettes At Radio City This Year Are 3 Alberta Sisters

    Mark Zuckerberg Welcomes His Daughter, And Will Devote $45 Billion To Combat World Ills

    Mark Zuckerberg Welcomes His Daughter, And Will Devote $45 Billion To Combat World Ills
    Talk about birth announcements: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife said they'll devote nearly all their wealth — roughly $45 billion — to good works in celebration of their new baby daughter, Max.

    Mark Zuckerberg Welcomes His Daughter, And Will Devote $45 Billion To Combat World Ills

    Transport Canada Suspends Licence Of 'Ice Pilots' Air Carrier

    Transport Canada Suspends Licence Of 'Ice Pilots' Air Carrier
    YELLOWKNIFE — A northern air carrier behind the popular TV show "Ice Pilots" has been grounded.

    Transport Canada Suspends Licence Of 'Ice Pilots' Air Carrier

    Housing Affordability In Calgary An Issue For Refugees Arriving In City: Naheed Nenshi

    Housing Affordability In Calgary An Issue For Refugees Arriving In City: Naheed Nenshi
    Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi says there are more than enough rental spaces for Syrian refugees arriving in the city, but help from the private sector is needed to make sure those units are affordable.

    Housing Affordability In Calgary An Issue For Refugees Arriving In City: Naheed Nenshi