Uber and drone startup partner to hit 1 million deliveries a day in next 3 years

Uber has partnered with drone startup Zipline to bring drone delivery to Uber Eats customers, with a goal of reaching one million daily deliveries by the end of 2029. Starting later this year, customers in Dallas and Houston will receive orders in 5 to 10 minutes via Zipline drones, compared to the typical 30 minutes. Uber will also invest in Zipline, though the value of the investment was not disclosed.

Uber and drone startup partner to hit 1 million deliveries a day in next 3 years Drones will deliver Uber Eats orders to doorsteps within a couple of minutes - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Uber /us/money/uber-layoffs-ai-technology-b3020249.html has partnered with drone startup Zipline and has /news/world/americas/wonder-dallas-drone-food-delivery-b3005879.html targeted /news/world/americas/wonder-dallas-drone-food-delivery-b3005879.html hitting one million daily deliveries in the next three years. Consumers can already get takeout after a long day at work or groceries for an impromptu dinner recipe with the click of a button. But now, Uber — through its food delivery service, Uber Eats — will speed up the process even further with the help of Zipline. Starting later this year, Uber Eats customers will have the option to receive their orders in 5 to 10 minutes via Zipline drones, the companies announced in a Monday press release https://investor.uber.com/news-events/news/press-release-details/2026/Uber-and-Zipline-Partner-to-Bring-Drone-Delivery-to-Millions-of-Americans/default.aspx . It typically takes about 30 minutes to complete an Uber Eats order, according to the Wall Street Journal https://www.wsj.com/tech/uber-zipline-partner-with-goal-of-hitting-1-million-drone-deliveries-a-day-e022b67a . “When you make a service really fast, magical, you actually change customers’ behavior,” Zipline CEO Keller Cliffton told the Journal . “We’re seeing customers who are ordering every day or multiple times a day because of how convenient it is.” Uber and Zipline aim to reach one million drone deliveries a day by the end of 2029. Drone deliveries will start with Zipline’s network in Dallas /news/world/americas/dallas-airport-islamic-feet-washing-stations-greg-abbott-b3033853.html and Houston /news/houston-keith-ellison-trump-department-of-homeland-security-america-b3024203.html before the service expands across the country, according to the Journal . Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi told the publication that consumers’ desire for speedy delivery is “insatiable” and that “it doesn’t seem like it’s ending.” Under the new partnership, Uber will also invest in Zipline. It’s unclear the value of that investment. When reached by The Independent for comment, a spokesperson for Zipline declined to share further details about the investment at this time. The Independent also reached out to Uber for comment. Zipline got its start in 2016 delivering medical supplies in Rwanda. The San Francisco /news/world/americas/us-politics/gavin-newsom-affair-campaign-manager-ruby-rippey-b3023319.html -based company has grown into the world’s largest drone delivery service, according to the press release. Chipotle /news/world/americas/chipotle-jalapenos-salmonella-outbreak-minnesota-b3027485.html announced its partnership with Zipline in August 2025, offering the drone delivery service to its customers in Dallas. “Zipline’s drone technology has proven to be extraordinarily reliable and precise, consistently meeting delivery windows with impressive accuracy. Most importantly, it helps ensure that our food arrives hot and fresh, just as intended, reinforcing the high standards our customers expect from Chipotle,” the Mexican restaurant chain’s president, Curt Garner, said in a statement on Zipline’s website. Zipline and Walmart /news/world/americas/walmart-los-angeles-county-data-privacy-settlement-b3027029.html launched their drone delivery service in Pea Ridge, Arkansas /news/world/americas/arkansas-football-helmet-cottonmouth-snake-b3032069.html , in November 2021. The mega retailer announced in May that it had reached more than one million drone deliveries in the past few years with the help of tech companies including Zipline. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments comments-area