UberEats launches robot delivery in three new Yorkshire areas
The sight of robots delivering food and groceries to homes in Yorkshire is set to become more common as UberEats has launched the service in Leeds.
The delivery service has teamed up with Starship Technologies to launch the autonomous robot deliveries just in time for the busy Christmas period.
The new fleet of robots will help deliver takeaways, food and other essentials to locals in the Headingley, Burley and Hyde Park areas of Leeds.
Households in areas of the north and east of the city can already have Co-op groceries dropped off by wheeled buggies. Stores in Adel, Tinshill, Kippax and Swarcliffe are involved in the Starship scheme.
“It’s brilliant to see autonomous innovation supporting one of our busiest times of year,” said Saskia de Jongh, EMEA General Manager at Uber.
“It’s so exciting that our new global partnership with Starship Technologies will first launch in Leeds, meaning we can offer local customers a fast new way to get what they need delivered - whether that’s a piping hot Pad Thai or party food essentials.”
Starship’s battery-powered robots travel mainly on pavements and help to reduce local traffic congestion and emissions. The robots have saved over 700 tonnes of CO2 entering the atmosphere in Europe so far, Uber said.
“We’re incredibly excited to be one of the first restaurants in Leeds to use Starship’s innovative delivery robots with Uber Eats, yet another exciting new adventure in the twenty years we’ve been running our restaurant” said Mark Burnard, Co-owner of Jino's Thai Cafe in Leeds.
“It’s a fantastic way to keep up with the demand for our much-loved dishes, especially our classic Pad Thai and any festive specials we roll out this winter. This cutting-edge technology will help us keep delivering more fresh, hot meals to our loyal customers.”
The robots are capable of completing deliveries in under 30 minutes for distances of up to 2 kilometres. Uber said though they are autonomous robots, someone is always overseeing them for assistance if needed.
Ahti Heinla, Co-founder and CEO of Starship Technologies, said: “We're expanding our operations in Leeds from delivering groceries to now delivering hot food, and we’re proud to be partnering with Uber to make it happen.
“Christmas is a busy period, and our robots are ready to make life a little easier for everyone. Some of them are so excited they wanted to dress up as reindeer."
Councillor Jonathan Pryor, deputy leader and councillor for Headingley and Hyde Park, said: "The robots have been really popular in other parts of Leeds and have proven that we can reduce short car journeys and carbon emissions by embracing innovation.
“I’m really proud that Leeds is leading the way and that Uber Eats has chosen the city as its first European robot venture."