Uber Makes Getting Groceries More Accessible By adding more SNAP-Friendly Stores to UberEats
San Francisco-based Uber on Wednesday announced in a press release what it describes as “the arrival of even more grocery and convenience selection for consumers shopping with SNAP benefits across the country.” Grocers such as Safeway, Smart & Final, and more are amongst a “growing list” of SNAP-friendly stores.
SNAP, or food stamps, is one social service facing cuts by the Trump administration.
“The increasing selection reinforces UberEats’ commitment to expand food accessibility and support communities in need,” Uber said. “Eligible customers can now use their SNAP EBT benefits to order groceries from participating locations through the UberEats app, with payments powered by Forage, the mission-driven payments company. In the months ahead, Uber teams will work to add even more retailers who will accept SNAP EBT payments on UberEats orders, including those that are new to UberEats.”
As Uber’s statement makes clear, today’s news is a big deal for accessibility. It’s one area where technology shines, as the smartphone’s ubiquity combined with on-demand services like Uber’s, means, for instance, those in the disability community who are perhaps relatively immobile (or homebound altogether) can still shop for the things they need for daily sustenance with just a few taps on their iPhone or other smartphone. Better yet, one’s groceries is made even more accessible by virtue of being less expensive with the aforementioned SNAP benefits. Overall, it’s an example of the quintessential win-win situation: not only does Uber get more business, but customers are happy and the whole experience can stand as a shining example of technology at its best. In this case, what’s ostensibly seen as mere nicety for convenience’s sake transcends into becoming something much more meaningful and, frankly, life-changing. To reiterate, services like UberEats—or Amazon or Instacart, for that matter—can be bonafide lifesavers for a not-insignificant portion of the population. Moreover, it’s proof positive assistive technologies have relevance far beyond a discrete, often esoteric suite of features included in a computer’s operating system.
“We believe that everyone deserves the convenience of delivery, and with this growing list of merchant partners we can continue to provide access to the fresh food that families and individuals need, especially those without access to reliable transportation for whom food delivery can be a lifeline,” Hashim Amin, Uber North America’s head of grocery and retail delivery, said in a statement for the press release.
Last year, I interviewed Ofek Lavian for my old Forbes column. Lavian, himself an Uber alum, is co-founder and chief executive officer of San Francisco-based payments company Forage, whose scope is focused on, apropos here, “enabling SNAP EBT for merchants and grocery savings for shoppers.” Lavian was quoted in Uber’s announcement, saying in part in a statement Forage is “proud to power the technology behind it, helping more families use their benefits with confidence and convenience.”
According to Uber, there’s a new SNAP icon in the UberEats for easy identification. The company also says EBT cardholders are eligible for no delivery fees on their first three SNAP-eligible orders as well as a limited free trial of its Uber One subscription service.
