Uber has revealed that it will begin offering automated robot deliveries in December through a new partnership with Starship Technologies.
The service will debut in Leeds, where the delivery robots will be able to complete orders in under 30 minutes for journeys of up to 3.2 km.
The initiative is intended to enhance the overall delivery experience for customers, even as robot delivery services are expected to be scaled back across Europe next year.
Starship’s AI-driven robots have already completed more than nine million deliveries in seven countries worldwide.
Ahti Heinla, co-founder and CEO of Starship Technologies said: “Together, we’re building the infrastructure that will define the next generation of urban logistics.
“Uber Eats has built the world’s leading delivery platform, with the widest reach, trusted by millions across 10,000 cities. We bring scalable autonomous technology that works profitably at city scale.”
Sarfraz Maredia, global head of autonomous at Uber, added: “Autonomous delivery is an exciting part of how we see the future of Uber Eats. Together with Starship, we’re bringing this future to life across multiple continents, leveraging Uber’s global scale and Starship’s proven autonomy to deliver efficient and affordable experiences for consumers and merchants everywhere.”
The development comes as more companies in the delivery sector turn to automated robots to boost efficiency, with Just Eat Takeaway also trialling AI-powered delivery bots in Europe.
In addition, convenience retailer Co-op broadened its autonomous delivery operations in 2023.