Uber Health arrives in Australia

Since the early days of Uber, the simple interaction of ‘tap a button and get a ride’ has changed people’s lives, providing accessibility where there previously was none, or simply by driving reliability, transparency and efficiencies in the way we move around. 

We work to reimagine the way the world moves for the better. 

That’s why today we are launching Uber Health in Australia, bringing Uber’s greater mission to healthcare organisations and patients across the country. 

Uber Health offers a transport solution for patients, medical staff and caregivers, ensuring that whether it’s a routine medical appointment, critical home care visit or trip to the laboratory or clinic, the transportation experience for any party is seamless. 

Missed medical appointments have implications for patients’ individual health outcomes, put increased strain on the healthcare system and its limited resources, and have a financial impact on the economy.

By ensuring that more patients and staff are connected with rides, Uber Health enables providers in Australia to improve appointment attendance, lower costs and improve patient satisfaction – increasingly meaningful measures for healthcare organisations. 

Uber observed a lack of technology used in the healthcare industry to manage patients’ care plans, with processes often organised in silos. Now, Australian organisations using Uber Health will be able to schedule, manage, and pay for rides for patients and caregivers in one digital hub, enabling faster, more streamlined operations. Riders don’t need the Uber app or a credit card to make use of this service. 

Trina Vincent, Research Manager at Holdsworth House said: “We first saw a need for services like Uber Health during the peak of the pandemic when the city was in lockdown. Patients who did not have ready access to private transportation were hesitant and sometimes even unwilling to come to the clinic via public transport,”

This was especially apparent for older clients who would end up missing their appointments because they found it challenging to find their way to the clinic from Sydney’s outer suburbs. Missed appointments can add strain not only to client’s personal health, but also affect the integrity of clinical trials we run in the clinic. We hope by using this service, it’ll help alleviate that stress of missing an appointment, by providing our clients with a safe and reliable Uber trip to and from the clinic.“

Developed with healthcare in mind, key features of the Uber Health dashboard and API  include:

Australia is an innovative market, and Uber Health is the latest technology solution we’re trialling in the first market outside of the US.

Sam Brown, Head of Uber for Business ANZ, said: “We’re proud to bring this to the Australian market to help streamline healthcare transport, reduce the strain missed appointments cause, and improve the overall patient experience. Uber Health helps to reduce transportation as a barrier to care for those who may not otherwise have their own way to get to or from an important appointment, and is also just one of the ways we’re working to create new earning opportunities for driver-partners.”

Uber Health is committed to helping remove barriers to care for those who need it most. Since its successful launch in the US in 2018, Uber Health has seen a 71% increase in gross bookings from Q4 2020 to Q4 2021, illustrating increasing demand and the ripe opportunity the Uber app has to address burgeoning healthcare concerns like patient transportation and critical deliveries.

Over 3000 customers use Uber Health in the US. Following a pilot across Australia, the solution is now officially available to providers nationwide.