Deliveroo Pilots Delivery Robots in Five UK Towns
Deliveroo has partnered with American firm Coco Robotics to introduce four-wheeled pavement robots to five locations in the UK. The first robots are set to arrive in Canary Wharf this month, followed by Milton Keynes, Leeds, Stockton on Tees, and Nottingham. Interestingly, Milton Keynes has already had robot deliveries since April 2018 through Starship, a company founded in Tallinn and now headquartered in San Francisco.
Deliveroo claims that most orders will still be delivered by human riders, but this is a small-scale scheme initially involving only a handful of merchants at each location, such as Patty and Bun, Signorelli, and Beam in Wood Wharf.
The introduction of robots follows similar trials by other companies, like Uber and Wayve, who have been testing robotaxis in London with safety drivers. Meanwhile, JD.com founder has predicted that robots will replace his couriers eventually but has assured no job losses.
In a global context, autonomous delivery is gaining momentum, especially after China's regulatory intervention to protect exhausted drivers and improve working conditions for delivery app workers.
Deliveroo, now owned by DoorDash, already utilizes Coco robots in Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, and Washington, and this partnership marks their expansion into Europe, with Helsinki as their first city.