Evanston now has an on-demand delivery app that allows users to order food and other products from anywhere in Chicago and a few northern suburbs.

The app, called Postmates, launched its Chicago expansion Friday, extending its services to Evanston, Skokie, Wilmette, Rogers Park and Winnetka.

Postmates uses local part-time couriers to pick up and deliver goods customers order through a smartphone app, available on Apple and Android devices. Users can order goods from any store, even if the business does not partner with Postmates, the company’s communications manager Heather Luntz said.  

“It allows you to order from any restaurant or store, regardless of if that place offers delivery themselves,” she said. “The place just has to be able to make a takeout order. Our fleet of Postmates, who are on bikes and in cars and on scooters, will pick up the order and bring it to you in under an hour.”

Customers can order through the app 24/7, Luntz said. Postmates can be used to get food, prescriptions, textbooks and school supplies, dry cleaning or any product that can be ordered through the app, Luntz said. Couriers can also deliver alcohol with proof of legal identification.

The Chicago area is divided into two zones to determine the cost of the delivery, Luntz said. Ordering something from a northern suburb to Evanston has a fee of $5, while getting an item delivered from downtown Chicago costs $15.

The app keeps users’ credit card data to allow them to pay for goods without cash. It also provides a map with real-time updates of the delivery’s location and gives a cost estimate and a final price once the courier picks up the products, Luntz said.

Postmates is convenient to Northwestern students due to its fast and affordable service, Luntz said.

“The notion of convenience and being able to get anything at any time of day is really appealing to students,” she said. “You can get anything at the touch of a button for students in particular who are really busy and are really focused on school.”

The company initially launched in Chicago in March, Luntz said. Since it started in 2011 in San Francisco, Postmates has expanded to 15 other cities nationwide and is continuing to grow, she said. 

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