Uber has signed a new deal to offer self-driving car options to customers in some cities. The partnership is with Avride, which was once the self-driving division of Russian conglomerate Yandex.
The multi-year agreement will initially introduce Abride’s self-driving robots as a delivery option for Uber Eats orders in Austin, Texas. Later this year, the robot will be able to fulfill delivery orders in Dallas and Jersey City, New Jersey. Self-driving cars are expected to begin serving Uber ride requests in Dallas in 2025. Self-driving will only be an option for “qualifying orders” from Uber or Uber Eats, but the company hasn’t said what those conditions are.
Yandex struck a similar deal in 2021 to deliver its self-driving robots to U.S. college campuses with Grubhub, before spinning out as a new business. That same year, the company’s self-driving cars reached a milestone of 6 million miles, driving under “harsh conditions” primarily in and around Moscow.
Uber had its own division researching self-driving cars. However, in December 2020, it sold the unit to Aurora, another self-driving car company.
