Uber adding 2,000 jobs in Chicago, mostly in Freight unit

Uber plans to open a new office in Chicago and add 2,000 people to its area workforce over the next three years.

The office will officially house the company's freight business and a related engineering hub.

Uber already has a significant presence in the city. It has about 1,300 workers in Chicago, some with the ride-hailing unit but most working on Freight.

Uber Freight uses the company's app technology to link shippers with trucking firms, with Uber getting a fee in return.

The unit had been divided between San Francisco and Chicago. Uber wanted to consolidate it in Chicago because of the transportation logistics expertise in the area.

Uber says it signed a 10-year lease for the office in The Old Main Post Office in the Chicago River area.