Starship Technologies has withdrawn its takeaway delivery robots from Sheffield after a five-month trial for Uber Eats ended amid repeated vandalism and local complaints. The San Francisco-based company confirmed its fleet will no longer operate in the city following the pilot in the Meersbrook and Heeley areas.
Vandalism and protests
Several robots were damaged during the trial. One incident saw the slogan 'off our street' daubed on top of a machine. Flags fitted to the six-wheeled, 1ft 10in robots to make them more visible were snapped off, and on another occasion traffic cones were placed behind the robots to stop them moving.
Other protesters covered the robots with stickers, including one that read: "Pedestrians good luck". One local resident, who said they did not approve of the vandalism but were glad the robots had gone, commented: "I'm not going to miss them".
Concerns over pavement use
The robots' use of pavements to deliver fast food had drawn criticism from disability campaigners and pedestrians' rights groups, who warned it set a worrying precedent. Residents also complained that the "aimless" robots appeared to drive backwards and forwards around Woodseats primary school when not making deliveries.
Despite the backlash, the robots have been used successfully elsewhere, including in New Jersey, and Starship launched its Uber Eats robots in Leeds in December 2025. The firm also runs a separate supermarket delivery service in Milton Keynes and has previously announced plans to expand across more cities in the UK, Europe and the US.
Reaction from campaigners
James Barber, Interim CEO at the Transport for All charity, said: "We welcome the end of the delivery robot trial in Sheffield and want to see clear regulations that make sure pavements are for people."
"When disabled people make everyday journeys, we already have to navigate bins, badly parked vehicles and e-bikes, A-boards and many other obstacles on our pavements. Delivery robots risk adding yet another barrier on already over-crowded streets, and this time it is one that can move into your path and stop without warning."
"We don’t want a repeat of the problems we see with e-bikes, where regulation has been far too slow to catch up. We call on the Government and councils to put clear rules in place, with disabled people involved from the start. After all, if robots can roam our streets freely but disabled people can’t, we’ve got our priorities badly wrong!"
Tanya Braun, Director of External Affairs at Living Streets, said: "Our streets are not testing grounds. Pausing the trial provides the opportunity to do what should have been done before it commenced and that’s listening to local people and addressing their legitimate concerns about having robots taking up space on their streets."
The Mirror has approached the two companies for comment.
