Uber Eats has announced a range of initiatives in the Czech Republic to support restaurant owners and operators facing unprecedented challenges amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The package includes waiving registration fees so that more restaurants can provide delivery and a new programme offering daily payments. In addition, Uber Eats is also introducing support for the couriers.
Initiatives to support the community
Uber Eats will offer a new pick-up functionality to both restaurants and customers. With this new feature in the app, customers will no longer need to stand in line when ordering take-out meals and the customers’ interactions and waiting time gets reduced, which supports social distancing.
In addition to the new pick-up feature, Uber will enable eaters to select “contactless delivery” within the app, pushing this to self-isolating individuals in particular, for couriers to drop the meals outside their door, to avoid personal contact
“We are putting in place a range of initiatives to continue to support restaurant partners, particularly small business owners, as they keep their kitchens firing to feed people across the country. This initiative keeps their doors open longer and keeps their teams working throughout this very difficult time,” said Luisa Elster, spokesperson for Uber Eats.
Initiatives to support restaurants
By waiving delivery fees and introducing the new pick-up option, which allows restaurants to seamlessly offer pickup services during a time when dine-in is limited, Uber Eats is helping restaurants reach more customers and drive demand for their services.
To help generate new revenue streams for impacted businesses, Uber Eats will also be waiving activation fees until April 30, helping new restaurants wanting to quickly join the platform. The company also introduced fast-tracked onboarding, to help restaurants launch a delivery service as soon as possible, while a dedicated team will help them join the platform in as little as 48 hours.
The company has also built new functionality to help restaurants count on reliable cash flow during this uncertain time. Uber Eats restaurant partners can choose to receive daily payouts instead of weekly.
Initiatives to support the couriers
To support couriers to protect their earnings and deliver in a safe way, the company is maintaining daily contact with them through several channels, including daily emails to share government recommendations, collecting their questions and sharing answers, and proactively reaching out to them to inform them about safety messages.
In addition, Uber Eats has informed its users of the “contactless delivery” option within the app, which allows couriers to drop the meals outside of the door or residence and avoid direct contact.
To support couriers who may be personally impacted by the current situation, the company will offer financial assistance to any active courier who is diagnosed with COVID-19, or is asked to self-isolate by a public health authority. They will receive this support for up to 14 days while their account is on hold. Moreover, Uber Eats provided couriers with various information about how to deliver food in a safe way.
