Uber will be testing with drones for Uber Eats delivery in several US markets by the end of this year, part of a new partnership with Israeli startup FlyTrex. The partnership includes small investments in Flight Rex, but Uber told Bloomberg News that the investment amount is not important.
This deal comes when Uber was re-engaged with some of the technologies it used to develop in-house. Uber has partnered with autonomous vehicle companies like Waymo to provide autonomous vehicles in cities such as Atlanta, and aims to introduce electric aviation taxis to its services over the next few years.
Uber went back to 2019 and tried using drones to some of its food delivery. However, the company did not stick to the idea due to restrictions on drones and later sold its “elevate” aviation division to aviation taxi company Joby. Currently, the regulatory environment surrounding new types of aircraft has been loosened, and companies like Zipline are trying to make aviation offerings a part of everyday life. FlyTrex is also working with Uber Eats competitor Doordash, and the startup says it has “more than 200,000 delivery” across the US
