Looks like Yorkshire is set to move into the year 3000 with these new grocery-delivering robots, which are set to become a familiar sight on the streets of these Leeds suburbs.
Leeds City Council has partnered with Co-op and Starship Technologies to bring autonomous grocery delivery to the streets of Leeds. . Globally, the robots undertake 140,000 road crossings every day.
20,000 residents will be able to use the service within the Adel and Tinshill area of Leeds. Groceries are picked fresh in local Co-op on Spen Lane and Otley Road before being delivered quickly and conveniently to your door.
Credit: Leeds City Council/ Co-op
Residents can make orders through the Starship food delivery app, which can be downloaded through your mobile phones app store where they can select a range of grocery items, schedule delivery and drop a pin where they want it delivered.
The delivery fee starts from 99p and is the first North of England expansion. The scheme has been trialled successfully in Milton Keynes, Bedford, Northampton, Cambourne, and most recently Cambridge. The robots have saved an estimated 1.1 million miles of car journeys and 445-tonne reduction in CO2 emissions since their introduction.
They’re powered by renewable electricity with an average delivery for a robot using the same amount of energy as boiling a kettle to make a cup of tea. Travelling at 4mph the battery-powered robots are fitted with sensors and AI, and machine learning making them able to traverse pavements to people’s houses.
Credit: Leeds City Council/ Co-op
Chris Conway, eCommerce Director, Co-op, said: “Co-op is committed to exploring new and innovative ways to increase access to its products and services. Our members and customers lead busy lives and so ease, speed and convenience is a cornerstone of our approach.
“Co-op stores are well placed to provide quick home deliveries in communities with products picked fresh in our local stores – whether that is a full grocery shop or for those last-minute top-ups, treats for evenings at home or forgotten items. We are delighted to be expanding into Yorkshire to provide flexible, quick and convenient options online for shoppers in our communities.”
Councillor Helen Hayden, Leeds City Council’s executive member for infrastructure and climate, said: “As a council we are absolutely committed to delivering alternative, sustainable methods of travel to help reach our target of becoming net-zero by 2030. We are trying to reduce the number of short journeys made by car, including those made by delivery vehicles. I’m really excited by the launch of this pilot, which will be trialled for three months in north-west Leeds.
Have you seen these food-delivery robots in Adel and Tinshill? 🤖
“Since the pandemic, we have seen a huge increase in the number of home deliveries. This pilot will be transformative and will provide an alternative home delivery provision which will particularly benefit residents with mobility problems or those facing other challenges which make accessing local facilities difficult. I would encourage residents in Adel and Tinshill to feedback their thoughts on the delivery robots during the pilot by visiting the council’s survey at starshipleeds.commonplace.is.”
Alastair Westgarth, CEO at Starship Technologies, added: “We are delighted to bring the benefits of autonomous delivery to residents in Leeds. This is our first significant expansion to the north of England, and we are confident the robots will make a positive impact in terms of actively reducing traffic congestion and carbon emissions, while also providing ease and convenience for local communities.
“Our robots have been widely welcomed as part of the community in all the areas we operate, and we are confident they will be equally embraced in Leeds. We are looking forward to working closely with Leeds City Council and Co-op and hope to further expand our service to more parts of Leeds and the wider Yorkshire region in the near future.”
Founder and owner of The Yorkshireman - a regional publication that celebrates all things Yorkshire. Find me dawdling in the Dales or walking the dog on the Yorkshire coast.
