Uber tries delivery robots in Toronto
City Hall Watcher Matt Elliott writes that Serve Robotics, a California company spun off from Postmates and now claiming to have achieved “Level 4” autonomy with its fleet of delivery robots, has hired Global Public Affairs’ Vince Amodeo to lobby about “regulation for low-emissions sidewalk delivery robots” in Toronto.
“The company has seen investment from Uber, NVIDIA, 7-Eleven and others.” Elliott reported in the March 3 edition of City Hall Watcher.
Amodeo has requested meetings with several councillors, including Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik, Councillor Brad Bradford, Councillor Jennifer McKelvie, Councillor Amber Morley, and Councillor Jamaal Myers. He has also contacted the mayor’s office.
“If history is our guide, it could be a tough uprising for the robots,” Elliott notes. “After a company named TinyMile started running pink delivery robots on Toronto sidewalks a few years ago, Council swiftly responded by banning them.“
According to the Serve website, “Serve Robotics, the Uber spinout that builds autonomous sidewalk delivery robots, is expanding its partnership with Uber Eats. The Nvidia-backed startup will now deploy up to 2,000 of its cute little bots via Uber’s platform in multiple markets across the U.S. The partnership is slated to last through the beginning of 2026.”
