Uber is investing in the startup Zipline and entering into a long-term partnership to facilitate Uber Eats deliveries via drones. The companies aim to reach a volume of 1 million such deliveries per day by the end of 2029.
The first Uber Eats drone deliveries are scheduled to launch in Dallas and Houston by the end of this year. The service is then expected to expand to other markets where Zipline already operates, eventually reaching dozens of U.S. cities.
The companies plan for drone deliveries to take approximately 5–10 minutes. This includes food, drinks, snacks, and other items available through the Uber Eats platform.
“Our goal is for millions of people to be able to order lunch, dinner, snacks, and more via the Uber Eats app and have them delivered by Zipline in a matter of minutes,” the companies stated.
Uber’s Largest Drone Delivery Deal
The amount of Uber’s investment in Zipline has not been disclosed. The company describes the agreement as its most significant commitment to drone delivery to date. It also marks the first time Uber has set a long-term, quantitative target for this sector.
Uber first began testing drone deliveries in 2019 through its Uber Elevate division. The company sold off this unit the following year as part of a cost-cutting initiative during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Later, Uber Eats returned to autonomous delivery. In Dallas, the company is collaborating with the Israeli developer Flytrex, while in Europe, it has reached an agreement with the Irish operator Manna. Concurrently, Uber is developing ground-based robotic delivery in partnership with Serve Robotics and Coco Robotics. Uber also employs a partnership model in the robotaxi sector: rather than building the entire technological infrastructure itself, the company collaborates with developers of autonomous technologies.
Drones emerge as a new frontier in delivery competition
Uber is expanding this area amid intensifying competition among delivery services. DoorDash has partnered with several drone operators and announced in July that it had received air carrier certification from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)—a prerequisite for the further development of its own drone program.
Wonder, which owns Grubhub, is also collaborating with Zipline and plans to launch drone delivery in Texas next year.
Major retailers are pursuing similar initiatives. Walmart is working with Zipline, Flytrex, and Wing—a division of Alphabet. Amazon is developing its own drones and plans to conduct such delivery flights in-house.
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