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Serve Robotics partners with DoorDash to expand autonomous food deliveries

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Serve Robotics, a San Francisco-based delivery robot company, has announced a new partnership with DoorDash, marking its expansion beyond its long-standing collaboration with Uber Eats. The deal will see Serve’s sidewalk robots begin handling food deliveries in Los Angeles, with plans to extend across the U.S., the company said Thursday.

Following the announcement, Serve’s shares surged more than 25%, reaching their highest level in eight months. The partnership allows Serve to access DoorDash’s vast network of restaurants and customers, significantly increasing the volume of orders available for its autonomous delivery fleet.

“This partnership enables us to go to cities where DoorDash is the dominant player,” said Serve CEO Ali Kashani, noting that the company now has a large enough fleet to serve multiple delivery platforms efficiently. He added that revenues will grow as the partnership scales to match Serve’s existing Uber Eats operations.

Serve’s robots have already completed over 100,000 deliveries across cities including Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, and Atlanta, handling orders from more than 2,500 restaurants. The expansion with DoorDash strengthens its position in the rapidly growing autonomous last-mile delivery market, which companies are turning to in order to cut labor costs and speed up service.

DoorDash recently unveiled its own delivery robot, Dot, and continues to explore automation through partnerships with Alphabet’s Wing for drone deliveries.

Avride to Expand Testing of Robotaxis Ahead of Uber Launch

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Autonomous technology startup Avride announced on Thursday that it will expand vehicle testing in Dallas as part of its plans to roll out robotaxis on Uber’s (UBER.N) ride-hailing platform later this year. The move marks another step in Avride’s partnership with Uber, aimed at making autonomous transportation part of mainstream mobility.

Avride first teamed up with Uber in October 2023, deploying delivery robots on Uber Eats in Austin. That service later expanded to Dallas and Jersey City. By the end of this year, Avride’s robotaxis will also be available through Uber, bringing both its delivery and passenger services onto a single platform.

“Soon, Uber riders will have a new way to move around the city, marking another step toward making autonomous transportation part of everyday life,” said Sarfraz Maredia, Uber’s head of autonomous mobility and delivery.

The robotaxi fleet will be based on Hyundai Motor’s (005380.KS) IONIQ 5 electric vehicle, enhanced with Avride’s autonomous driving system. The partnership with Hyundai, signed in March, also includes joint development and operations of self-driving cars.

Beyond ride-hailing, Avride has extended its reach into food delivery. It has partnered with Grubhub to deploy autonomous robots on U.S. college campuses, broadening its commercialization strategy across both passenger and delivery markets.

Amazon Expands Same-Day Delivery to Perishable Foods to Compete with Instacart and Walmart

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Amazon Prime subscribers can now receive perishable items—including strawberries, milk, meats, and frozen meals—on the same day they order, as the company expands its fast-delivery service. The option is free for Prime members on orders over $25 and available to non-members for a $12.99 fee. Previously, perishable groceries were delivered via Amazon Fresh or Whole Foods, often requiring an additional subscription fee.

The service is currently available in over 1,000 U.S. cities, with plans to expand to 2,300 by year-end. Analysts say the lower order threshold and inclusion of groceries in Prime could attract more members and pressure competitors like Instacart, Walmart+, DoorDash, and Uber Eats. Amazon has invested $4 billion to expand same-day and next-day delivery across rural U.S. communities.