Uber Plans to Deliver Food by drone

Uber Technologies Inc. plans to deliver food by drone in San Diego as part of a wide-reaching commercial test program approved by the federal government, said Dara Khosrowshahi, the chief executive officer.

 

Companies have arranged loads of stunt food deliveries by drone (Domino’s pizza, Chipotle burritos, Slurpees that in theory arrive frozen, etc.), but meals via air are still a widely available option at exactly zero restaurant chains.

 

Now, UberEats now the world’s largest food-delivery platform has begun a new trial program in San Diego. The service’s selling point has always been that it’s a speedy way to get lunch or dinner, but orders in this new test service will arrive insanely fast. Anywhere from “five minutes from now to 30 minutes from now,” said CEO Dara Khosrowshahi.

 

Khosrowshahi said people should expect meal delivery in five to 30 minutes, depending on whether it comes from a drone or a human. “Push a button and get food on your doorstep,” he said. Uber is now the largest food delivery business in the world, Khosrowshahi told the crowd during an on-stage interview with Bloomberg at an Uber conference in Los Angeles.

 

The U.S. Transportation Department said it chose 10 state, local and tribal governments and a handful of companies, including Alphabet Inc., FedEx Corp., Intel Corp., Qualcomm Inc. and Uber, to work together on commercial drone testing.