Uber plans food delivery service in Tasmania

A NEW online food ordering and delivery platform run by Uber will be launched in Tasmania early next month.

Uber Eats may launch in Tasmania next month. Picture: AAP/KERYN STEVENS

A NEW online food ordering and delivery platform run by Uber will be launched in Tasmania early next month, the Mercury understands.

Uber Eats offers a service where customers can order food from local restaurants online or on a smart phone app.

The food is delivered to the customer’s address for a small delivery fee and the delivery can be tracked in real time on the app.

The service is popular in major cities interstate with more than 100 restaurants using the service in Melbourne and another 80 listed in Brisbane.

Website Finder released new research revealing that Australians were spending $2.6 billion every year on food and drink delivery apps such as Menulog, Uber Eats, Deliveroo and Foodora.

The Uber Eats website promotes its service as being good for food businesses and customers alike.

Uber Eats, the home delivery food app, may be set to launch in Tasmania. Picture: AAP/CARMELA ROCHE

“Your food is featured in the app, new customers can discover it and loyal customers can enjoy it more often,” the website says.

“We’ve seen restaurants increase sales, lower marketing costs and recruit new employees to capitalise on Uber Eats demand.”

It also promotes the service as an easy and flexible way for people to earn money.

However, one Hobart restaurant owner, who wished to remain anonymous, said the initiative was expected to be launched in Tasmania in early May.

But the restaurateur said he was not convinced by the concept and had rejected signing up for the time being because of the pricing structure.

He said that Uber Eats charged a 35 per cent commission on the price of the order for restaurants and after the 10 per cent for GST came out, his business would only make $55 from a $100 order.

It is also understood it also charges a $6.95 delivery fee for customers. “So really, after it all, we are losing out on more money,” he said.

It is also understood that Uber Eats takes no responsibility for any customer complaints made to the restaurant.

The service has also drawn criticism from unions, which who say pay rates for delivery drivers fall below those of traditional bike couriers and there was no protection for workers if they were injured and no superannuation.

Tasmanian Hospitality Association general manager Steve Old said he did not see how Uber Eats would take off in the state compared with Victoria and NSW.

“I don’t think it would work here,” he said.