Taxi app Uber is partnering with Kalahari.com to allow Cape Town riders to use the service to order their christmas shopping in a UberSleigh.
According to a media release the UberSleighs are three vans which will be divided into four sections For Him, For Her, For the Kids (girl, boy and both) and Generic (gender neutral). All items will be under R1,000.
The vans themselves will be kitted in festive designs, while their drivers will be dressed like Father Christmas, with some elves tagging along to help people with their purchases.
How it works:
- New users must sign up for Uber using the new user code UberSleighSA.
- Open the Uber app between 10am and 4pm from Thursday 18 December - Wednesday 24 December to order your UberSleigh.
- You will see an icon called UberSleigh (only in Cape Town).
- Toggle over the UberSleigh option.
- Simply request a car like you normally do, and an UberSleigh will be on its way to you with the top-selling products from Kalahari.
Globally Uber is controversial - facing a series of bans over claims that it provided unfair competition to local taxi services, and claims that it doesn't vet its drivers very well.
The service was banned in India after one of its drivers raped a woman who fell asleep in the back of his taxi.
In November its senior vice president Emil Michael suggested that the service hire a team of opposition researchers and journalists to dig into the private lives of media figures who reported on the service.
He later apologised.