What happened
DoorDash has announced the launch of its drone delivery program, DoorDash Air, in Northern California. The program aims to provide an end-to-end drone delivery system for local businesses. Trial runs of the drone deliveries will begin in the coming months in partnership with national restaurant brands including Chipotle and Popeyes.
The drone delivery program is designed to combat the challenges of autonomous delivery, particularly the first and last ten feet of the delivery process. According to DoorDash, 80% of its typical restaurant orders are light and small enough to be carried safely by the aircraft. The company claims that its trial runs have seen average delivery times from restaurant to residence in under five minutes.
The drones used in the program have six slow-spinning propellers and are designed to be quiet, with a noise projection limited to roughly that of a passing car at delivery height. The launch of DoorDash Air follows a similar trial run by Amazon in Texas, which received complaints about the noise level of the drones.
DoorDash has seen an increase in local businesses offering delivery on its app, and customers are showing support for the new delivery option. The company has received positive remarks from businesses that already deliver through its service, including Popeyes, which believes that DoorDash Air will deliver food hot and fast without requiring changes to its restaurant teams.
