Zipline, a leader in drone delivery, and Uber Technologies have announced a strategic partnership, which aims to scale drone delivery across the US.
The first deployments will begin later this year, where Uber Eats customers will have the option to receive their orders in minutes via Zipline’s autonomous drone delivery.
Uber will also make a strategic investment in Zipline and, together, the companies aim to reach one million drone deliveries per day by the end of 2029.
Zipline claims its technology and service in the US will deliver ‘anything people need in 5-10 mins’. Zipline says it has made more than 2.7 million deliveries of more than 20 million items, reducing traffic, carbon emissions and saving people time with each delivery.
Uber says it is building the world's most flexible hybrid delivery network, ‘seamlessly integrating couriers, sidewalk robots, and drones to match every delivery with the best mode of transportation’.
This strategic partnership offers Zipline’s ‘quiet, ultra-fast, precise delivery to millions of Uber Eats customers and hundreds of thousands of small businesses’.
Together, Uber and Zipline say they will accelerate the adoption of drone delivery at scale, bringing fast and affordable autonomous deliveries to millions more consumers.
“Zipline has built incredible technology, and Uber connects many millions of people with local merchants every day,” said Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber. “Together, we’re shaping the future of delivery by creating a faster, more sustainable way for people to get what they need. We look forward to bringing this technology to more communities and making autonomous delivery part of everyday life.”
“Teleportation isn’t science fiction anymore. It’s becoming part of everyday life,” said Keller Cliffton, Co-Founder of Zipline. “Every great transportation revolution has changed where people live, how businesses operate, and how economies grow. Together with Uber, we’re taking the next step toward building a world where getting what you need is as fast and effortless as sending a text, no matter where you are.”
Zipline says drones have the potential to transform delivery by cutting delivery times, costs, and emissions compared with traditional methods, making it ‘possible for everything from dinner to daily essentials to arrive at your doorstep in a matter of minutes’.
About Zipline
Zipline claims it is the world's largest drone delivery service and operates on four continents, makes a delivery somewhere in the world every 20 seconds, and serves more than 5,000 hospitals and health facilities.
The company has flown more than 135 million commercial autonomous miles, which is the equivalent of driving every single road in America 32 times. Driving that far would result in more than 600 crashes, more than 100 injuries and at least 2 fatalities. With each delivery Zipline maintains it is transforming access to ‘healthcare, consumer products, food, and more’.
