Two Waymo autonomous vehicles drive themselves down Central Avenue in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S., March 18, 2024.
Caitlin O’hara | Reuters
Uber Eats customers may start receiving orders delivered by a Waymo self-driving car for the first time in the Phoenix metropolitan area.
The new service, which rolls out on Wednesday, marks the official launch of Uber’s delivery partnership with Waymo and is part of a broader multiyear collaboration between the two companies unveiled last year. In October, Uber began offering rides in Waymo’s self-driving vehicles in Phoenix.
For Uber Eats, Phoenix is the seventh site with autonomous deliveries, but the first location where the delivery app will use Waymo’s vehicles. Uber Eats has already teamed up with robotics companies Cartken, Motional, Nuro and Serve Robotics to pilot autonomous deliveries in other markets.
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A view of a Waymo delivery on the Uber Eats app.
Credit: Uber Eats x Waymo
The latest offering in Arizona is limited to Uber Eats users in Phoenix, Chandler, Mesa and Tempe, with ordering available from select merchants in those cities. An Uber spokesperson told CNBC that the list of service areas is growing, and more restaurants will be eligible for autonomous deliveries in the coming weeks.
Orders will be delivered via Waymo’s Jaguar I-PACE electric vehicles, the spokesperson said, adding that Waymo, which is owned by Alphabet, doesn’t disclose its fleet size.
Uber Eats users in areas serviced by Waymo can opt to have their items delivered by a courier. With Waymo, standard fees will apply but customers will not be charged for tips, the Uber spokesperson said.
“The addition of food delivery to Uber’s ongoing partnership with Waymo reflects both companies’ mission to encourage zero-emission trips and unlock greater innovation for consumers and merchants in Phoenix and beyond,” Uber said in a blog post.
Uber did not say whether it plans to bring Waymo deliveries to more cities in the future. Beyond Phoenix, Waymo’s core ride-hailing service is available in parts of Los Angeles and San Francisco.
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Source link: https://www.cnbc.com/2024/04/03/waymo-self-driving-cars-are-delivering-uber-eats-orders-for-first-time.html