[imagesource: Simon Dawson / Bloomberg via Getty Images]

Tracking your order on Uber Eats is a little like the at-home version of watching the waitstaff carry food to other tables at a restaurant.

There’s a moment of hope as they emerge from the kitchen, plates in hand, and then crushing disappointment as it gets plonked on a table across the room.

By the way, there’s very little point in ogling said food at this stage. You’ve made your order. If you want to ogle food on other tables, do so before placing your order but be discreet about it.

The Uber Eats version is hearing a delivery bike approaching, thinking it’s your time to shine, only to have it whizz past your address.

I recently learnt, via this article on MyBroadband, that can you actually pay a little extra to ensure your Uber Eats order gets delivered first.

In peak periods, Uber Eats drivers are often taking multiple orders to different addresses, but the priority delivery option means it’s all about you:

First launched in December 2021, the feature prioritises a driver’s order of delivery addresses to give preference to specific users.

To use the service, Uber charges customers a flat fee of R12 on top of the standard delivery and service fees.

Uber Eats Sub Saharan Africa’s operations head Charles Jhumbo Mhango says the extra moola ensures the estimated time of arrival is reduced:

“The additional fee will ensure that the delivery of their order is fast-tracked and delivered first in a delivery order,” Mhango said.

He said the feature had seen “substantial” uptake in South Africa, with around one in every ten orders choosing priority delivery.

An important feature of the priority delivery option is that Uber won’t assign multiple orders with the option selected to the same delivery person.

In other words, no matter how busy things are (think load shedding in the dreaded 6PM to 8:30PM slot, for example), you will always be a driver’s first stop.

You’re already paying over the odds for Uber Eats (the standard delivery fee and the extra cost usually added to each item you order), so some would argue you may as well go all in and pay the extra R12.

MyBroadband ran a few tests to see how effective priority delivery was – you can see the results here.

It all depends how much of a premium you put on convenience. At some stage, it really does become more cost-effective to hop in your car and collect your order directly from the restaurant.

[source:mybroadband]