Sydney-based Sherpa takes on Uber

By Rebecca Chambers | 4 November 2014
 

Uber has been the flavour of the month for some time now. Engaging in multiple brand partnerships and promotions with brands including Heineken, Air Melbourne and Xbox, saw Uber offer rides in choppers and Ferraris.

Uber's success has not gone unnoticed and now a local, Surry Hills start-up named Sherpa has launched to become a challenger and disrupt the way people send packages to one another. 

Sherpa offers a delivery service that promises you will have your item within two hours. By using the Sherpa app on iOS, users can order an item from anywhere in Sydney’s CBD and Eastern Suburbs and have it delivered to their door for a small fee. The transaction is made via the app by credit card. 

Sherpa will deliver anything, including food items, last minute birthday gifts and even alcohol. Users are given full control of the delivery process, as soon as they request an item to be delivered and it is accepted they are sent a name, photo and contact number for the ‘Sherpa’ in charge of delivering their item. The service is available to individuals, businesses and stores who have delivery needs.

Mathieu Cornillon, Sherpa’s founder, told AdNews, “We've signed more than 50 stores in Sydney to play ambassadors for Sherpa to their clients so they can propose either to offer deliveries or recommend their client to use Sherpa to get anything from their stores delivered. We definitely plan to partner with our ambassadors to promote their brands and stores as well.” The service has a community focus and a vision of supporting local commerce. 

Meanwhile, Uber has recently run into a roadblock while attempting to expand its ride-share service to Canberra. In order for it to be able to operate as a ride-sharing service and take bookings it would need to be accredited, which the service is not. The Uber service is also under fire in Victoria from the Taxi Services Commission for similar accusations of illegitimacy. Uber threatens the taxi industry with features like GPS tracking, the ability to rate and choose your driver making the service not only cheaper than taxis but also safer. 

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