First a disclosure: my DD is invested in Uber. Because of auto vandalism in San Francisco, she orders an Uber to travel between her Menlo Park and San Francisco offices. She always asks the drivers if the program is working out for them. What she has learned is that drivers choose customers destined for addresses that fit their family needs. For example, they may need to pick up their children at child care or school.
Recently an Uber manager was interviewed by Jim Cramer where the capacity of their software to handle trucking was discussed. That can improve over the road logistics significantly improving the life of truck drivers and saving shippers a lot of $$. The interview was brief likely because Uber is not yet publically traded. In my opinion that may be a bigger profit center for Uber than ride sharing.
From TheStreet:
In his "Off The Tape" segment, Cramer sat down with Lior Ron, head of Uber Freight, the logistics side of Uber, which aims to tackle rising freight costs using technology.
Ron said that while just about every other production cost has declined over the years, freight costs have only risen. Uber aims to fix this by using technology to remove friction. The company's app pairs drivers with loads that need to be moved and allows drivers to book opportunities with just a few taps.
Despite only being in operation for 20 months, Ron said they're already seeing a decline in shipping costs as transportation becomes more efficient. This is especially true for heavier items, like food and water.
Ron added that technology is a great equalizer. He said many minority drivers didn't have access to opportunities in the past, but with Uber Freight, they can instantly be matched with work that needs to be done.