Uber Eats Partners with Starship Technologies for Autonomous Robot Deliveries
Uber Eats and Starship Technologies have announced a global partnership to deploy autonomous sidewalk delivery robots across multiple continents, with the first deployments launching in the UK this December. The collaboration marks a significant expansion of autonomous delivery services and positions Uber Eats at the forefront of last-mile delivery innovation.
The partnership will begin with trials in Leeds and Sheffield in December 2025, before expanding to additional European markets throughout 2026 and the United States by 2027. Deliveries will be fulfilled “from select merchants” initially, with the service scaling as regulatory approvals and operational capabilities expand.
How Starship’s Robots Work
Starship Technologies operates the world’s largest autonomous delivery fleet, with over 2,700 six-wheeled robots currently deployed across 270+ locations worldwide. The robots have already become a familiar sight on UK pavements, having completed more than 9 million deliveries across seven countries.
The autonomous systems operate at Level 4 autonomy, meaning they can navigate complex environments with minimal human intervention. Each robot can complete deliveries within 30 minutes for distances up to 2 miles, making them ideal for urban food delivery. Starship claims the robots execute over 100,000 road crossings daily, generating approximately 200 million crossing datasets that continuously train the company’s AI models.
By 2027, Starship plans to scale its fleet to exceed 12,000 robots, dramatically increasing delivery capacity across served markets.
Strategic Positioning for Uber
For Uber Eats, this partnership represents the latest in a series of autonomous vehicle collaborations. The company has previously partnered with Serve Robotics and Avride for autonomous deliveries in the United States. By diversifying its autonomous delivery partners, Uber Eats is hedging its bets across different autonomous vehicle technologies and operational models.
Sarfraz Maredia, Global Head of Autonomous at Uber, stated that “autonomous delivery is an exciting part of how we see the future of Uber Eats,” emphasizing how the partnership leverages “Uber’s global scale and Starship’s proven autonomy to deliver efficient and affordable experiences for consumers and merchants everywhere.”
The Employment Question
While Starship has argued that robots will supplement rather than replace human couriers, the scale of the planned rollout has sparked concerns about job displacement. A report from Prysm Global suggests autonomous delivery could add £1.3 billion to the UK economy over the next decade, but also acknowledges that automation could displace significant numbers of low-paid delivery jobs, even as new technology roles emerge.
Starship’s operational model demonstrates the efficiency gains: the company operates at a small profit with just 200 employees, compared to traditional delivery firms that rely on large fleets of human drivers. However, the regulatory landscape remains a consideration, as Starship continues negotiating with local councils to expand robot access to UK pavements—a challenge the company claims to have largely resolved in markets like Finland through nationwide legislation.
Regulatory Path Forward
Expanding autonomous delivery across Europe and the United States will require navigating varying regulatory frameworks. The UK has presented regulatory challenges that Starship is actively addressing through council negotiations, positioning the December launch as a critical test of these permissions and operational viability.