Uber to Deliver Food via Drone

SAN FRANCISCO—Uber announced that it will begin testing the first-ever commercial application of food delivery by drone in high-density urban areas, reports the Washington Post. In a collaboration between Uber Eats and Uber Elevate divisions, the new initiative will deliver McDonald’s to residents in San Diego.

Although Uber started its program with fast food, the next expansion may include delivering food from local fine-dining restaurants. Bloomberg Businessweek says Uber intends to roll out commercial food delivery using drones in the same city this summer, with a fee structure that mimics Uber Eats current pricing.

“We’ve been working closely with the FAA to ensure that we’re meeting requirements and prioritizing safety,” Uber Elevate’s Luke Fischer, the company’s head of flight operations, said in a statement. “From there, our goal is to expand Uber Eats drone delivery so we can provide more options to more people at the tap of a button. We believe that Uber is uniquely positioned to take on this challenge as we’re able to leverage the Uber Eats network of restaurant partners and delivery partners as well as the aviation experience and technology of Uber Elevate.”

How will it work? A customer orders, and the restaurant loads the meal into a drone. The drone alerts an Uber Eats driver at a designated drop-off location, and the driver will pick up and hand deliver the meal. In the future, Uber hopes the drone lands atop parked vehicles near delivery locations. Uber says the new program will save customers time and money.