Uber has announced a new collaboration that aims to bring driverless technology to both its ridesharing and delivery operations in the coming months.
Uber and Avride’s Multi-Year Strategic Partnership
The rideshare giant outlined a multi-year strategic partnership with Avride, a developer of both autonomous vehicle technologies and automated delivery robots. The company, established in 2017, separated from its former Russian parent Yandex earlier this year, Reuters noted.
Avride Provides An Autonomous Option for Uber Customers
Under the agreement, Uber customers in select locations could be given the option for their Uber ride or their Uber Eats order to be fulfilled with a self-driving car or sidewalk robot, respectively. The companies said that Avride’s robots are already making deliveries in the U.S. and South Korea, and that its autonomous cars are undergoing testing on public roads.
Initial Uber Eats Sidewalk Robots to Debut in Texas
The first Uber Eats sidewalk robots are scheduled to debut in Avride’s native Austin, Texas, in the coming weeks before adding service in Jersey City, New Jersey, later in the year. Meanwhile, the rideshare collaboration, is slated to debut later in 2025 in Dallas.
Financial terms and other details were not disclosed.
Image Source: Avride
