At Uber the safety of couriers and drivers is a top priority. In Valencia, as in other areas affected by the recent floods like Barcelona, Albacete, or Cadiz, we shut down operations following the red alert issued by the local authorities. Prior to that, we sent communications to all couriers in the affected areas strongly advising them to prioritize their safety and avoid going online.

The day after the tragedy, we launched a free-of-cost service for citizens to donate essential goods to support the people in need with focus on the Valencia area. With Uber Ayuda (Uber Help) a driver collects the donated goods at the doner’s home and delivers them to the official pick up points set by the local authorities. The service will be available over the next two weeks and costs are fully covered by Uber.

In regards to couriers who use our platform, we have reached out to those carrying out deliveries in the most affected areas to find out about their situation. As extra economic support, we are matching the earnings they were doing before the tragedy.

In parallel, we have set up a package of measures to support merchants working with our platform in the most affected areas. These include offering them a 100% discount on our commission, and an additional investment in promotions to support them to bring back user demand.