Uber Eats autonomous robot couriers launch in Leeds – UKTN

Uber Eats has launched its new autonomous delivery robots in Leeds in partnership with Starship Technologies.

The firms announced last month that they would be bringing robotic couriers to select UK locations this year, with the West Yorkshire city being the first.

“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.”

According to Uber Eats, the fleet of bots will allow the company to rise to the seasonal spike in demand for ordering, with the firm claiming searches for seasonal food items are skyrocketing.

The battery-powered robots will travel mostly on pavements and, according to Starship, can complete deliveries using as little energy as boiling a kettle.

“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.”

Starship Technologies has already rolled out delivery robots in the city outside of its partnership with Uber.

“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,” said Councillor Jonathan Pryor.

“I’m really proud that Leeds is leading the way and that Uber Eats has chosen the city as its first European robot venture!”