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    • Avride delivery robots officially arrive in Austin; what to know
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    Avride delivery robots officially arrive in Austin; what to know

    Pabio Posted on

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    At Austin’s crosswalks, drivers might find that instead of stopping for walkers, they will stop for robots delivering food to Uber Eats customers.

    The partnership between autonomous vehicle company Avride and Uber Eats, made official this week, is another flagship project Uber hopes to remain relevant as technology in the autonomous driving space continues to advance.

    With delivery robots already heading to Austin, here’s everything you need to know about what to expect and what else is coming from Uber:

    What will robotic delivery services look like?

    The robot delivery option is already available and customers will know. If a restaurant offers robot delivery, the Uber Eats storefront will display a note saying: “Autonomous vehicles can deliver your order.”

    Once a robot is on its way, customers can track its location in real time on the Uber Eats app and will receive a notification when it arrives.

    At the delivery location, customers simply tap “unlock” in the app to open the robot’s hatch and access their order.

    Initially, these delivery services will be provided by sidewalk robots developed by Avride. Austin will be the first city to welcome these robots under this partnership, but there are plans to expand to Dallas and Jersey City, New Jersey, later this year.

    Autonomous drive-up deliveries through Uber and Uber Eats are planned for the future, with these services expected to first start in Dallas next year.

    According to Avride, after launch, when consumers request an eligible delivery or ride on the Uber Eats or Uber app, they may have the option to have that trip carried out by an Avride delivery robot or autonomous vehicle.

    Waymo and Uber already offer driverless rides in Austin

    Last month, Waymo and Uber announced an upcoming expansion of their driverless ridesharing program in the Austin area.

    The service, called Waymo One Experience, is already operational in three American cities and will expand to Austin and Atlanta, two cities where Waymo has already tested self-driving cars. The feature will be available only on the Uber app and is expected to launch in early 2025.

    When driverless journeys begin, they will do so via a fleet of fully autonomous, all-electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicles from Waymo, which the two companies plan to expand into a fleet of hundreds of vehicles over time.

    Beck Andrew Salgado covers hot topics in Austin’s business ecosystem for the American Statesman. To share tips or additional information with Salgado, email [email protected].

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