Uber Technologies has announced a strategic partnership with Avride, an autonomous technology startup, to enhance its food delivery and robotaxi services. The collaboration will see Avride’s sidewalk robots deployed in cities like Austin, Dallas, and Jersey City for Uber Eats deliveries, starting in the coming weeks.
Uber Eats will introduce Avride’s robots for food deliveries in Austin, expanding later to Dallas and Jersey City. Furthermore, the two companies plan to launch robotaxi services in Dallas next year, with an ambitious goal of expanding the fleet of delivery robots to hundreds by 2025.
This partnership is part of Uber’s broader initiative to extend its network of self-driving technology collaborations. Recently, Uber has deepened its ties with Waymo, Alphabet’s robotaxi division, and formed new alliances with General Motors’ Cruise and Chinese firm WeRide.
Dmitry Polishchuk, CEO of Avride, stated, “We plan to expand the total fleet of Avride robots operating within Uber Eats to hundreds in 2025, followed by the launch of our robotaxi service.” Founded in 2017 and previously a self-driving division of Yandex, Avride has successfully completed 200,000 deliveries across five countries.