Uber is expanding its use of robots to deliver food.
This time, customers on the East Coast are getting a taste of the technology for the first time.
Starting this week, customers in Jersey City, New Jersey, will have their orders delivered by Avride autonomous robots.
The companies, which joined forces in 2024, first launched the delivery robots for Uber Eats customers in Dallas and Austin, Texas, marking a major milestone for the entire industry that’s been rapidly trying to make advancements in self-driving technology.
Uber Eats customers who order from participating restaurants will be able to choose if they want their meal delivered by Avride robot or a traditional courier before confirming their order.
When it initially launches, customers will be able to receive robot deliveries throughout downtown Jersey City between 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., though the company plans to expand its operating territory.
Its foray into the East Coast market marks the latest phase of Uber’s multiyear strategic partnership with Avride, which has been working to bring delivery robots and autonomous vehicles to Uber and Uber Eats.
A growing list of companies, from tech giants like Google’s Waymo to automakers like Tesla, are racing to make autonomous driving a reality by investing heavily in developing their own self-driving technology.
But as companies heavily invested in their own operations, Uber dumped its program for an entirely new strategy.
In 2020, it sold its autonomous vehicle research division, Uber Advanced Technologies Group, to self-driving car startup Aurora and created partnerships with driverless car companies to bring the technology to market and co-brand their efforts.
“Progress needs a partner. For autonomous vehicles, that partner is Uber. As the largest on-demand mobility and delivery platform in the world, alongside our deep expertise in marketplace management, fleet utilization, and local operations — we’re uniquely positioned to help AV hardware and software developers deploy and scale their technology globally,” Uber’s website reads.
To date, Uber has more than a dozen autonomous vehicle partners, including Volvo, Aurora, Waymo, Cartken and Nuro, that it is working with to boost its autonomous delivery and taxi services.
With the latest Avride launch in New Jersey, Uber has autonomous delivery programs available in 11 cities with six partners. It is not as far along with autonomous taxi services, though it is slated to expand that service with Waymo over the next few months.
The robots, in particular, can travel up to 5 mph for 31 miles on one single charge. They work in inclement weather, including snow, rain and sub-freezing temperatures, because their chassis provides traction on wet roads and data from various sensors offers sufficient visibility.
The ride-share giant and Google’s Waymo have already introduced autonomous driving in Phoenix and plan to expand autonomous rides to Austin and Atlanta in early 2025.
An “Interest List” has been launched for Austin customers to increase their chances of being matched with a Waymo robotaxi ride when the service debuts.
Uber and Avride are expected to launch autonomous rides for Dallas residents in late 2026.
