Ride-hailing group Uber has agreed with Starship Technologies to introduce autonomous robot deliveries in the UK from December 2025.
Initially, Uber Eats users in Leeds will be able to have orders delivered by Starship’s robots.
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Starship Technologies co-founder and CEO Ahti Heinla stated: “Together, we’re building the infrastructure that will define the next generation of urban logistics.
“Uber Eats has built the world’s leading delivery platform, with the widest reach, trusted by millions across 10,000 cities. We bring scaleable autonomous technology that works profitably at city scale.”
Starship’s AI-powered delivery robots, which operate on sidewalks, are designed to travel at Level 4 autonomy [a level of operation at which a robot can perform all tasks under specific conditions or in a defined area, without a human needing to monitor the system or be ready to intervene].
The units are built to handle journeys of up to two miles and complete orders in under half an hour.
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By GlobalDataThe companies intend to widen the partnership to several European locations during 2026, with a move into the US market targeted for 2027.
Uber Autonomous global head Sarfraz Maredia stated: “Autonomous delivery is an exciting part of how we see the future of Uber Eats.
“Together with Starship, we’re bringing this future to life across multiple continents, leveraging Uber’s global scale and Starship’s proven autonomy to deliver efficient and affordable experiences for consumers and merchants everywhere.”
Starship’s robots are active in multiple territories, with its fleet having already carried out more than nine million deliveries across seven countries.
Founded in 2014, Starship has secured more than $280m in funding to date, including a $50m round in October 2025 and $90m raised in February 2024.
The UK tie-up adds to Starship’s existing partnerships.
In 2023, US-based food-ordering and delivery platform Grubhub partnered with Starship for food deliveries at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas.
