Uber said the vending service will make rides better for passengers and give its drivers a way to make extra money.
Under the agreement, Uber drivers will be provided with Cargo boxes stocked with snacks and beverages, beauty products and simple electronics to sell to riders, for which they will receive a commission.
The boxes – which can be strapped to the driver’s armrest – contain about 10 products, like RX protein bars, Kellogg’s NutriGrain Bars, Twix candy bars, PepsiCo’s Tazo Ice Tea, and Happy Plugs earbuds. Passengers can buy the items through Cargo’s website on their smartphone.
Free samples
About 30% of the items in the box are free samples, paid for by brands for Cargo to distribute, including Kellogg’s, Starbucks and Mars Wrigley Confectionery.
For every product the driver sells, Cargo will pay them $1, as well as 20% of the retail price, even if it is one of the free samples. The only requirement is that drivers must have at least a 4.7 rating and be relatively active on the platform.
According to Cargo founder and CEO Jeff Cripe, drivers could make between $100 and $300 per month by stocking a Cargo box.
“Because of companies like Uber, people spend more passenger-time in cars than ever before,” Cripe.
“This opened the door for Cargo to create an unparalleled level of convenience for a generation of people on the move, and our partnership with Uber will play an important role in making that vision reality.”
Currently, the service is only available in San Francisco and Los Angeles, but if successful, Cargo is hoping to roll it out across the US.
