Uber Eats has announced a partnership with Starship Technologies to deploy autonomous delivery robots in two UK cities before the end of the year. The rollout will begin in Leeds and Sheffield, with the first robots arriving in Leeds in December 2025.
The robots, which operate at 'level 4 autonomy', can function independently without continuous human supervision. Starship says they are 99% autonomous, using radars, cameras, sensors and machine learning to navigate. They can deliver within 30 minutes to addresses up to two miles away.
Uber Eats' global head of autonomous delivery, Sarfraz Maredia, said the partnership would 'deliver efficient and affordable experiences' for users. Starship CEO Ahti Heinla added that they are 'building the infrastructure that will define the next generation of urban logistics'.
Initially, over 10 Uber-branded robots will operate in Leeds. Unlike human drivers, the robots cannot be tipped. The service will later expand into Europe in 2026 and the US in 2027.
Starship has already completed over 9 million deliveries across seven countries, including partnerships with Co-op in UK cities such as Milton Keynes. The new robots will exclusively handle Uber Eats orders.
