news 
DoorDash has officially launched its robot delivery service in Los Angeles and Chicago, a significant expansion of its existing pilot program with Coco Robotics. The move aims to improve the efficiency and sustainability of its last-mile delivery process.
The partnership will enable eligible customers in both cities to receive sidewalk deliveries from over 600 participating merchants, marking a major step forward for the company’s “multimodal” delivery strategy. This approach combines human workers, drones, and autonomous robots to meet increasing demand while reducing costs and emissions.
In an effort to reduce its environmental footprint, DoorDash has opted to replace traditional vehicles with Coco robots, which emit zero emissions. The move is a significant departure from the company’s previous reliance on human labor for last-mile delivery.
According to Harrison Shih, Senior Director of DoorDash Labs, “not every delivery needs a two-ton car just to deliver two chicken sandwiches.” This sentiment highlights the company’s shift towards more environmentally friendly options.
The new service will not only benefit the environment but also potentially increase efficiency and reduce costs. The robots will operate on sidewalks, eliminating the need for human workers to navigate busy streets and traffic.
This development is part of a larger push by DoorDash to diversify its delivery methods. The company has recently partnered with Wing to provide drone deliveries in the US and Australia. In March 2024, Uber Eats expanded autonomous deliveries to Japan, while Grubhub started bringing robots to college campuses.
As the last-mile delivery landscape continues to evolve, it remains to be seen how this development will impact gig workers who rely on traditional human labor for their income.
Source: https://www.engadget.com/transportation/doordash-starts-robot-deliveries-in-la-and-chicago-172358704.html?src=rss
