• Uber Eats will reset the fee charged for the transfer of daily payments to partner restaurants;
• Another measure of the program leaves the service charge of restaurants at 0% when users place an order through the app to pick up the meal in person;
• Lime electric scooters in Rio are now available for rent through the Uber app.

Uber Eats announced on Tuesday the creation of a new temporary support program for small and medium-sized partner restaurants in Brazil. The program includes direct donation to exemption from some fees. The firm also announced on Monday that Lime electric scooters in Rio de Janeiro are now available for rent through the Uber app.

To help with the cash flow of establishments, Uber Eats will reset the fee charged for the transfer of daily payments to partner restaurants, that is, the amount referring to orders made by the app will be passed on free of charge, daily, to all small ones and medium-sized restaurants that operate with the platform in Brazil.

Another measure of the program leaves the service charge of restaurants at 0% when users place an order through the app to pick up the meal in person. Orders placed on the online platform made available free of charge by Uber Eats will also have a zero fee for the next few months. In this case, deliveries can be made either by the Uber Eats delivery partners or by the restaurant team itself.

According to Uber, the program also brings back the possibility for users to show their support: they will have the option of donating BRL 2 to their favorite restaurants, as a way of supporting employees, affected by the current crisis. In 2020, Uber said that users donated almost BRL 1 million in extras for restaurants over four months.

READ ALSO: Uber Eats and Credijusto are partnering up to provide financing for Mexican restaurants

Small and medium-sized restaurants will still receive a boost in the marketing actions via Uber Eats, which will help impact new users and generate more demands for establishments it said.

“One of the best ways to support our partner restaurants is to invest so that they can take their dishes to more users, especially in the case of small and medium establishments. Our operation has undergone adaptations to focus on promoting strategies that reaffirm our commitment and partnership with them. We intend to continue to be a strategic ally in the recovery path of this industry,” said Rafael Pereira, Head of Restaurants Operations at Uber Eats Brasil, in a press statement.

According to Uber, across Latin America, restaurants’ interest in incorporating the home delivery option through Uber Eats has grown. In Brazil, for example, between March and September alone, the number of restaurants active on the platform increased by 34%, with many of the enterprises going digital for the first time.

READ ALSO: Uber launches digital account that enables instant payment for partners

Lime scooters can now be rented by the Uber app in Rio

Now Uber users will be able to see Lime scooters available on the app map, after selecting the new option from the category menu. Lime moved back to Latin America, after it had a first difficult start. The firm received a $170 million investment from Uber in May and took control of the Uber-Jump operation (first Uber’s electric scooter sharing service initiative in December 2019).

According to Uber, when locating the scooter, users need to scan or enter the unit code to unlock it. The price is the same as the Lime app: BRL 2.25 to unlock an additional BRL 0.75 per minute of use.

“The integration with Lime represents another step in Uber’s strategy of opening its platform to bring together several services in the same application. Now, users from Rio will be able to choose whether they want to take a car trip, order a meal, go to the market, send or receive orders or rent an electric scooter, all in the Uber app,” says Tiago Lambuca, Uber operations manager.

READ ALSO: Scooter rentals startup Lime resumes operations in Latin America

It is a partnership between companies that will remain independent. Thus, the operation of scooters and user support is carried out by Lime. Before each unlocks, the user needs to review company guidelines for safe driving, including a warning for wearing a helmet and respecting traffic rules.

Currently, it is possible to rent scooters and bikes from Lime through the Uber app in more than 60 cities around the world, such as Lisbon, Santiago, and Rome. The partnership was expanded after the companies signed a global agreement that merged Uber’s micro-mobility operations with Lime.