Uber to test driverless food delivery in California in 2022

Uber has just announced that it has teamed with autonomous vehicle company Motional on a new partnership that will see "autonomous deliveries" on Uber Eats.

The trial will begin in "early 2022" and would see Motional (which has partner with Hyundai and Aptiv) have some, not all, food delivery options that will be delivered with a self-driving car, through the Uber Eats app on your phone. Customers will be able to choose from "a curated set of meal kits from select restaurants".

Now, while the "autonomous food delivery" through Uber Eats sounds like an autonomous car picking up your order from the restaurant, driving it to your house (or work, school, etc) and then you collect it. But the trial will see "safety operators present in the vehicle" throughout the autonomous Uber Eats food delivery trial.

Sarfraz Maredia, vice president and head of Uber Eats in the U.S. and Canada explained: "Our consumers and merchant partners have come to expect convenience, reliability and innovation from Uber, and this collaboration represents a huge opportunity to meet -and exceed- those expectations".