What comes to your mind when you think about Uber?
8 out of 10 times, you might think about the cab rides and conversations with the drivers.
Perhaps you might even stumble upon the thought of ordering food from your favorite restaurant, thanks to Uber Eats.
However, times have changed and it is no longer 2009.
Driverless cars are now becoming more accessible than ever across the automotive industry, thanks to Tesla, while delivering packages through drones is being explored by numerous companies.
Being a tech-driven company at the core, Uber recognized the evolving landscape, and it has decided to be a powerful creative force in the aggregator economy.
On September 8, 2022, Uber announced a ten-year strategic partnership with Nuro, an autonomous vehicle company.
Together, they will begin testing robotic deliveries in Houston, Texas, and Mountain View, California, this fall, with plans to expand to the rest of the Bay Area in the coming days.
As per Noah Zych, global head of autonomous mobility and delivery at Uber, both Nuro and Uber have shared beliefs on technology’s role in making daily life a little bit easier.
Noah further adds that with this partnership, Uber will be able to offer its customers and merchants a compelling mix of innovation and convenience, affordability, and dependability that they’ve come to expect from Uber.
“Our collaboration with Uber exemplifies Nuro’s history of collaborating with industry leaders to streamline autonomous delivery,” Cosimo Leipold, Head of Partnerships at Nuro, said in a statement.
Notably, Uber has been looking into various robotic delivery options recently.
With the help of driverless vehicle technology firm Motional and autonomous sidewalk delivery firm Serve Robotics, the company launched two robotic delivery pilot tests in Los Angeles in the month of May.
According to Payments News & Mobile Payments Trends (PYMNTS) Connected Economy July edition, the percentage of US consumers ordering same-day delivery for food on a monthly basis sits at 43%.
The partnership shows how quickly the potential for autonomous last-mile delivery of meals, groceries, and other goods is growing.
It also makes it possible for Uber Eats merchants and restaurants of all sizes to use autonomous delivery technology, a major push for local commerce.
This partnership will also help cut down on pollution from car trips and other traditional ways of getting things delivered that use fossil fuel-powered vehicles, contributing to environmental sustainability and public health.
One of Uber’s biggest competitors, Grubhub, has also been exploring robotic delivery for food parcels.
The food aggregator has stated that it intends to expand its robotic delivery service in partnership with Cartken with the rest of the colleges in the US after it finishes its pilot project at the Ohio State University.
The future of food and restaurant aggregator space looks bright as it is set to become more agile, environmentally friendly, and customer-focused, with the major players investing in such innovative developments.
If you are looking for strategic partnerships with autonomous mobility startups for your company, feel free to get in touch with The X Future.
