If you’re in the Phoenix metro area and don’t mind walking out of your apartment to pick up a meal, your Uber Eats order may be delivered by one of Waymo’s self-driving vehicles. The two companies have officially launched the next part of their multi-year partnership, which also includes offering robo-taxi rides to ride-hailing customers in the region. When you place an order on Uber Eats, you’ll receive a reminder: “Self-driving vehicles may deliver your order.”
If a Waymo car does pick up your order, you’ll be notified, and you’ll have to have your phone with you when you encounter it so you can open the trunk and get your food. Don’t worry, if you don’t want to go out and pick up your order and would rather have your food delivered to your door, you can opt out during the checkout process.
Currently, Waymo delivery service is only available in Chandler, Tempe and Mesa, and only from select merchants, including local chains and chains like Princess Pita and BoSa Donuts. An Uber spokesperson said CNBCHowever, the companies are looking to expand their services and add more merchants to their lists. They also told the news organization that Waymo will make deliveries using Jaguar I-PACE electric vehicles, which it has been testing in Arizona for years. It doesn’t sound like Waymo’s deliveries will be more expensive, either, as a spokesperson said you’ll just pay the standard fee and no tips will be charged.
Last year, the two companies announced for the first time that they were teaming up to provide robo-taxi rides and delivery services in Phoenix, following Waymo’s expansion of service in the city. In October, robo-taxi service became available in the metropolitan area, giving you the option to hail a taxi when you request UberX, Uber Green, Uber Comfort or Uber Comfort Electric.
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