- Uber partners with Zipline to start drone food deliveries in US cities later this year
- Uber is making a strategic investment in Zipline, with details undisclosed
- The goal is to reach 1 million drone deliveries daily by the end of 2029
Uber is taking another step toward autonomous food delivery, partnering with drone company Zipline to bring unmanned aerial deliveries to Uber Eats customers across the United States.
Under the strategic partnership announced Monday, the first drone deliveries are expected to begin later this year in US markets where Zipline already operates. The companies plan to expand the service to dozens of additional cities as the network grows.
Uber is also making a strategic investment in Zipline, although the companies have not disclosed the size of the investment.
The partnership gives Uber access to Zipline's autonomous delivery technology while allowing Zipline to tap into Uber Eats' large customer and merchant network.
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1 Million Drone Deliveries A Day By 2029
The scale of the partnership goes well beyond a limited pilot project. Uber and Zipline are targeting 1 million drone deliveries every day by the end of 2029.
Zipline says its autonomous delivery network already operates across four continents and has completed more than 2.7 million deliveries involving over 20 million items.
The company says its network makes a delivery roughly every 20 seconds.
For Uber, drones will become another component of a broader delivery system that combines traditional couriers with autonomous technologies. The company has been expanding its use of automation as it looks to make deliveries faster and more efficient.
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From Medical Supplies To Food Delivery
Zipline has built much of its track record around time-sensitive logistics, particularly healthcare. Its network serves more than 5,000 hospitals, according to the company, and it has flown more than 135 million autonomous miles.
It has also expanded into consumer deliveries through partnerships with retailers and restaurant chains.
The Uber partnership represents a major push to take that technology into mainstream food and local commerce.
Uber has previously pursued drone delivery through a partnership with Flytrex. The new Zipline agreement adds another major player to its autonomous delivery strategy.
If the rollout reaches the companies' 2029 target, drones could shift from being an experimental delivery option to a significant part of how Uber Eats orders reach customers across the US.
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