Uber will roll out two pilot programs in Los Angeles where Uber Eats deliveries will be completed without a human driver. One program features pavement robots capable of delivering short distances.
Another program will make use of self-driving vehicles to deliver Uber Eats orders.
According to the media, Uber launched two beta tests of delivery via the robot on Monday (May 16), according to a report by TechCrunch: one in partnership with self-driving vehicle tech company Motional and the other with autonomous sidewalk delivery company Serve Robotics,
which has spun off from (owned) delivery company Postmates . now) by Uber) in 2017. Both tests are running in Los Angeles.
“We will be able to learn from both pilots what customers really want, what merchants really want and what makes sense for delivery when we start integrating our platform with AV [autonomous vehicles] companies,” an Uber spokesperson told TechCrunch.
“The hope is that they will be successful and that we learn over the coming months and then figure out how to expand.”
The news comes as restaurants struggle to meet the demand for delivery, with many major brands even facing capacity constraints. As drivers’ labor becomes increasingly difficult to obtain, the cost of their labor is rising, making the economics of the canal, which didn’t really work at first, even more difficult.
Domino’s Pizza, for example, a brand known for its massive delivery business and something of a go-to model for a restaurant that operates its own in-house chauffeur fleet, has left demand on the Canal unmet.
