Uber brings #Uberkittens initiative to Australia delivering cats to people’s desks
Ride sharing app Uber has launched a service to take rescue cats to people’s homes and offices as part of a drive to raise funds and awareness for animal shelters.
The initiative launches today between 12pm and 4pm in six locations around Australia, with people able to order 15 minutes of cuddles for $40.
In a blog post today Uber said: “Following the huge success of UberKITTENS in the US, we were inundated with requests from riders and some amazing local shelters to bring it to our shores so we could share the kitten love and spread the word about the importance of finding much needed homes for our furry friends.”
The PR play comes just weeks after the controversial company, which taxi drivers in many states say is operating illegally, was slammed for using surge pricing during the Sydney siege and was forced to apologise and offer free rides.
To order a play people can select the “Kitten” option on the Uber app. However, they must also answer a series of questions to check their suitability, including having a room to take the cat and making sure no-one in the vicinity is allergic to them.
The service is being rolled out in Geelong and Melbourne, Brisbane and the gold Coast, Perth and Sydney.
Cash from the initiative goes to the participating shelter, whilst people will have the chance to adopt the kittens.
A big lesson for PRs here – no matter how bad a company acts, it can all be fixed with kittens.
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Uber didn’t surge pricing during the Sydney Siege. That was a rumour generated I think on Twitter. They did offer free rides out though.
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@TF yes they did, and they apologised for it: http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2014.....e-pricing/
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Pretty grim.
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Can’t wait to turn up to my business meeting covered in kitten hair and scratches.
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What a stupid idea! If you want a kitten then buy one – there are thousands every year that need a home. Borrowing one for short-term entertainment is a shitty thing to do to an animal.
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Mel if you read the article it says people have the chance to adopt them. I think it’s a great idea, might get people thinking about adopting to actually do it. And it’s raising funds for the shelters so it’s a win win.
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@Mel: I think it’s a great idea for people who don’t have the time to look after cats but would like cuddle time with kittens. It’s also great for people who have family that are allergic to cats. My husband is allergic to cats and I love cats. Uberkittens is a win win!
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Oh and on an added note.. Not houses that people rent out allow pets.
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I think it’s good for the shelter kittens too, who are often starved of human affection and crave it. Provided it’s supervised by a responsible person (from the shelter) who can talk about the benefits of adopting a rescue kitty to anyone enjoying the cuddles.
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Not my favourite publicity stunt …
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Not my favourite stunt either, but then I’m not a cat person. It must be a bit stressful on the kittens too, mustn’t it?
Now if they were delivering bacon sandwiches…..(cue interwebz outcry about stress to pigs)
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Can they be served as executive delicacies? Are there recipe suggestions?
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So much negativity!
I think this is a lovely idea… my workplace is aged care & disability services & our workers & clients would absolutely love to have this service & as a cat person who has had several rescue kittens over the years, these kittens need love & attention… so as somebody above said… win win situation.
Good job Uber… keep up the good work & unique ideas like this 🙂 🙂
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I wonder if Uber will be as keen to rehome the legitimate hard working drivers who get put out of work because of their illegal uber-x operations
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