Takeaway orders in Bristol and Milton Keynes may soon arrive via robot, as Just Eat UK launched a trial of autonomous delivery services on February 12th. The initiative, timed to coincide with Valentine’s Day – historically a peak period for takeaway orders, particularly in the South West – will notice select restaurants offering customers the option of robotic delivery.
Eight restaurants in Bristol are participating in the trial: Bishopston Fish Bar, Chicken Mews, Chicking, M&M Kebab and Pizza (Filton), Jolly Fryer, Caspian Fish Bar and Miss Millie’s Chicken (Gloucester Road). Customers ordering from these establishments via the Just Eat platform will see a “receive it delivered by robot” banner. A parallel trial is underway in Milton Keynes, utilising a different robotics provider.
The Bristol trial is being conducted in partnership with Delivers.ai, an ‘autonomous mobility technology company’. Oral Yigitkus, Delivers.ai’s chief technology officer & founder, stated the partnership would “support local independent restaurants with our technology” and “improve reliability, urban logistics, and the overall customer experience.” The Milton Keynes operation is being run with RIVR.
Just Eat’s Chief Technology Officer, Mert Öztekin, emphasized the company’s commitment to innovation, stating, “We’re always innovating to improve the delivery experience for our customers.” He added, “For those in Bristol and Milton Keynes who love tech – what better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than a robot delivery from your favourite local?” Öztekin did not comment on the potential impact of the technology on the company’s existing delivery workforce.
The move follows a previous ground robotics pilot in Switzerland, where Just Eat completed nearly 1,000 deliveries. The company is also continuing to test drone delivery in Ireland. According to Just Eat, the South West region of England experienced the largest increase in takeaway orders on Valentine’s Day last year.
This is not the first foray into autonomous delivery in the UK. In 2022, delivery company DPD began testing similar robotic technology in both Milton Keynes and Bristol. During that trial, DPD’s chief executive, Elaine Kerr, stated that the company did not anticipate replacing its human delivery drivers “any time soon,” and expressed satisfaction with the service they provided.
The increasing interest in automation within the logistics sector comes amid wider concerns about the potential impact of artificial intelligence on the UK job market. A 2024 report from the Institute of Public Policy Research warned that AI could threaten up to 8 million jobs without government intervention.
