Free Republic

For a little over a year, Uber has been operating its UberRUSH delivery service as a pilot program in New York City. Today it’s making it an official part of the company, and expanding the courier service to Chicago and San Francisco, allowing customers to receive deliveries from local businesses. UberRUSH competes directly with Postmates, delivering items like groceries, take-out food, and house supplies, albeit with a much larger fleet of cars on the road. But unlike Postmates, when you open the Uber app, you won’t be flooded with a number of businesses that can deliver something to you.

The next time you order a burrito, it may be delivered by an Uber driver. On Wednesday, Uber is graduating its Uber Rush pilot from an experiment to a business. First launched in 2014, the Uber Rush trial let users hail a courier from the company's app, as you would a regular Uber ride, and track the approaching messenger. When Business Insider tried the New York City pilot, a reporter had a raincoat she forgot at a meeting picked up and dropped off within 20 minutes for $11. That was an extraneous and frivolous use, however — most individuals don't...