Amazon is taking the sharing economy to the next level, recruiting amateur drivers to deliver packages for the global online retailer.

Amazon Flex, which was piloted in Seattle, is coming to the UK, offering drivers an hourly rate to work in areas of their own choosing. It estimates that rate could be between £13 and £15 an hour, but that includes tips and could vary depending on how long the deliveries take. Drivers use a smartphone app to choose where and when they want to work, and to give them directions to customers' homes; customers can track their orders.

The new arrangement is part of the same-day service offered to Prime Now customers, which includes 15,000 products that can delivered within the hour.

The rollout is expected to start later this month in Birmingham, and according to the Financial Times, Amazon has been advertising for drivers on Gumtree and Craigslist.

E-commerce delivery experts ParcelHero said the move would transform home deliveries.

"By launching its new crowdsourced driver scheme in the UK Amazon steals a march on Uber, who have been slow to get their UberRush 'Uber for things' delivery service off the ground here," said ParcelHero's head of public relations, David Jinks. "Turning its local customers into delivery drivers means Amazon can give even more delivery choices to shoppers while slashing its own logistics overheads."