With Ride-Hailing in Trouble, Uber Makes Move to Deliver Prescriptions
Uber Technologies Inc. is expanding its health care business to include last-mile prescription delivery through a partnership with NimbleRx, a California health care startup. The new joint service will start with pilot programs in the Dallas and Seattle areas, “with plans to grow in the coming months,” according to a blog post by Dan Trigub, the head of Uber Health.
An Uber Health spokesperson tells AIS Health that the COVID-19 pandemic is a driving motivator for the partnership. The pandemic has wrought havoc on Uber’s core ride-hailing business: according to the firm’s second quarter earnings report, overall revenue during that period fell 29% year over year. The move into prescription delivery seems to indicate a company-wide pivot to delivery and last-mile logistics. During the second quarter, Uber Eats, the company’s food delivery service, brought in more revenue than ride-hailing for the first time in company history.