Script Runner, an AI-powered medication logistics platform, has partnered with Uber Direct to launch smarter prescription delivery in Canada. The new service allows pharmacies to organize multiple orders into optimized routes, making deliveries faster, more reliable, and less costly. By integrating Uber Direct’s software into Script Runner’s platform, pharmacies can now schedule and dispatch routes more efficiently, even with limited staff and time.
The companies say the approach improves speed and predictability for patients while lowering the cost for pharmacies, a pressure point as operators juggle growing clinical responsibilities and rising labor constraints. Script Runner frames the initiative as part of a broader push to modernize the infrastructure for medication delivery across the country.
“In rural Alberta, delivery workforce shortages are a constant challenge for pharmacies,” said Fayaz Rajabali, franchise owner of three pharmacies and past President of the Alberta College of Pharmacy. “By ensuring it’s done properly and within the right regulatory framework, Script Runner’s innovative approach with Uber helps us deliver more prescriptions in fewer trips. That means saving time, lowering costs, and ensuring patients receive their medications quickly and reliably, even when resources are stretched.”
“Pharmacy delivery has traditionally relied on manual processes and individual trips. Script Runner’s platform helps modernize this approach. Through the Script Runner interface, staff can organize prescriptions into optimized delivery routes, which are then fulfilled through Uber Direct’s courier network”.
“We’re excited to partner with Script Runner to bring more options to Canadian pharmacies. With Script Runner’s logistics platform, pharmacies can serve patients faster and more efficiently while reducing strain on their operations. This is an example of technology improving access to care,” said Kiran Vinta, Head of Uber Direct for US and Canada.
Field Use Cases and Early Impact
In an interview, Script Runner founder and Chairman Suresh Bhat described the Script Runner Uber Direct partnership as a practical fix for a persistent bottleneck in pharmacy operations. He said the platform allows a store to request a courier through the Uber Direct network, collect signatures, and complete more drops in fewer trips , which reduces errors and redirects hours back to patient care.
“Pharmacies are incredibly busy, and delivery has been handled in an archaic way for years,” Bhat said. “With our platform connected to Uber Direct, a store can request a courier through the Uber Direct network, capture required signatures, and focus on efficiency gains by using Uber’s order tracking and organizing software. It saves time and reduces errors, which leads to better patient outcomes.”
Bhat cited off-hours scenarios as a clear advantage. “A pharmacist can dispatch an urgent medication to the airport at midnight, and the patient still makes the flight,” he said. “That was almost impossible before.” The companies note that Uber Direct’s network can be especially valuable in rural areas where pharmacies struggle to find consistent driver staff, while urban sites benefit from improved route density and predictability.
Compliance and Patient Safety
Medication delivery requires controls that are distinct from food and parcel services. Script Runner’s software includes identity verification, signature capture, and photo proof at the door, and supports pharmacies’ procedures for handling sensitive medications. Uber Direct provides a courier network and each stop generates a record to maintain compliance and chain of custody, reducing the risks associated with mis-deliveries.
The goal, according to both companies, is to meet professional and regulatory expectations while giving community pharmacies a way to compete on speed and consistency.
AI Efficiencies Behind the Counter
Script Runner has built AI tools to reduce wasted trips and repetitive tasks. One example is automated outreach to confirm whether a patient will be home during a delivery window. If the patient is not available, the order can be rescheduled before a driver leaves the store. Bhat said this can reclaim hours of staff time each day.
“We have seen scenarios where a pharmacist spends several hours phoning patients about deliveries,” he noted. “Automation brings that down dramatically, which lets teams focus on clinical care.”
Rural Reach, Urban Scale
Rajabali’s experience highlights benefits across market types. In remote settings, consolidating multiple orders into optimized routes can be the difference between same-day and next-week delivery. In cities, optimized sequencing of drops reduces late-day rushes, overtime, and failed attempts that trigger re-deliveries.
Script Runner says the capability is already live in stores that previously struggled to staff deliveries. By using Uber Direct through the Script Runner platform, those pharmacies can now deliver, regardless of fluctuating volumes, while retaining proof-of-delivery safeguards.
Track Record and Growth Outlook
The Script Runner Uber Direct partnership builds on a series of innovations from the software company. In 2024, Script Runner completed what it describes as Canada’s first long-distance autonomous drone delivery of insulin, a 60-kilometer flight near Thunder Bay, as a proof of concept for reaching remote communities. Since launching last year, Script Runner says it has been battle-tested in more than 150 deployments across Canada and has supported over one million deliveries.
Bhat previously co-founded a payments startup that was acquired by Interac, experience he credits with shaping Script Runner’s focus on compliance and transaction integrity. He said the company is speaking with large chains and health networks. “We believe we have the best solution in the market, and our focus now is scale,” he said.
Competitive Context in Last-Mile Health
Last-mile health logistics is drawing attention from technology platforms and retailers. The differentiator for this rollout is its focus on pharmacy realities in Canada, from identity checks to handling time-critical therapies, combined with a national on-demand delivery network. By integrating Uber Direct’s software into a purpose-built pharmacy logistics stack, Script Runner positions community pharmacies to compete on speed without sacrificing clinical standards.
For patients, the near-term benefits are improved reliability and access. For pharmacies, the operating model promises reclaimed staff time, lower costs, and a more consistent delivery experience.
Adoption will turn on evidence that Script Runner’s approach to delivery cuts cost per order, reduces failed attempts, and raises patient satisfaction. Early anecdotes point to gains in emergency and after-hours use cases. The next phase is scale, where route density and repeatable processes across many pharmacies can turn promising pilots into daily operating norms.
“Every year, new technology becomes more accessible,” Bhat said. “Our job is to bring the best of logistics and AI to pharmacy workflows so that medications arrive on time, every time.”
