Uber Eats partners with Flytrex to pilot drone food deliveries
Key Points
- Uber Eats teams up with Flytrex to test food delivery by drone in the U.S.
- Flytrex is one of four FAA‑approved providers for BVLOS drone operations.
- The partnership includes an Uber investment to accelerate Flytrex’s deployment.
- Customers could receive food orders within minutes, reducing road traffic.
- Pilot markets are slated to launch by the end of the year.
- Uber’s President of Autonomous Mobility and Delivery highlighted speed and sustainability.
- The effort builds on earlier Uber Elevate and test deliveries with major retailers.
Uber Eats is launching a new drone delivery pilot in partnership with Flytrex, a company that already operates food‑delivery drones for other U.S. retailers. The collaboration will allow Uber Eats customers to receive orders within minutes while helping to reduce road congestion. Flytrex is one of four providers authorized by the FAA for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations, and the partnership includes an investment from Uber to accelerate Flytrex’s technology deployment. Uber’s President of Autonomous Mobility and Delivery, Sarfraz Maredia, highlighted the move as the next chapter in speed‑focused, sustainable delivery.
Partnership Overview
Uber Eats announced a new partnership with Flytrex to test drone deliveries for food orders in the United States. Flytrex, already delivering food in several U.S. locations and working with major retailers, will provide the drone technology for Uber Eats’ pilot markets. The collaboration is designed to give customers faster order fulfillment, delivering meals within minutes and easing road congestion.
Technology and Regulation
Flytrex is one of the four providers that have received authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to conduct Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations. BVLOS allows pilots to control drones without having a direct visual on the aircraft, expanding the range and efficiency of deliveries. The partnership includes an investment from Uber into Flytrex, giving the drone operator additional resources to speed up the rollout of its technology across the United States.
Strategic Vision
"Autonomous technology is transforming mobility and delivery faster than ever before," said Sarfraz Maredia, President of Autonomous Mobility and Delivery at Uber. "With Flytrex, we're entering the next chapter — bringing the speed and sustainability of drone delivery to the Uber Eats platform, at scale, for the first time." The statement underscores Uber’s intent to integrate drone delivery as a core component of its service offering, aiming for broader reach than previous attempts.
Future Plans
The companies plan to launch the drone delivery service for pilot markets in the United States by the end of the year. While Uber previously explored drone delivery through its Uber Elevate initiative and conducted test deliveries with McDonald's in 2020, this new partnership marks a more expansive effort. The collaboration seeks to deliver meals to two people per flight, leveraging vertical take‑off and landing capabilities that have been demonstrated in earlier Uber projects.