(Reuters) – Uber Technologies said on Thursday it was partnering with autonomous technology startup Avride for food deliveries and robotaxi services, as the ride-hail major rapidly extends its network of self-driving technology partners.
In recent weeks, Uber has expanded its tie-up with Waymo, Alphabet’s robotaxi unit, and formed new alliances with General Motors’ Cruise and Chinese firm WeRide.
Uber Eats will also begin using sidewalk robots from Avride for deliveries in Austin in the coming weeks, expanding to Dallas and Jersey City, New Jersey, later this year. The food delivery unit also has a similar partnership with Serve Robotics in Los Angeles.
Avride and Uber are looking to launch robotaxi rides in Dallas next year.
When requesting a service through Uber Eats or the ride-hailing app, customers may be presented with the choice to have their order fulfilled by an Avride delivery robot or an autonomous vehicle.
Austin, Texas-based Avride, which has already made 200,000 deliveries across five countries, was founded in 2017. It was formerly the self-driving group of Yandex and separated from the Russian firm earlier this year after corporate restructuring.
“We plan to expand the total fleet of Avride robots operating within Uber Eats to hundreds in 2025, followed by the launch of our robotaxi service,” said Dmitry Polishchuk, CEO of Avride.
(Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath)
