GoKawiilDinner by drone? The FAA on Wednesday granted DoorDash approval to operate its own drone service. The company will eventually add the small unmanned aircraft to a food delivery network that already includes human drivers, autonomous vehicles and even rolling robots.
Details about the launch of the new program, called DoorDash Air, will be unveiled in San Francisco on Sept. 29. The company is expected to announce when and where service will begin, along with details about the aircraft, ground infrastructure, and how the drone delivery service will integrate into its broader delivery network.
To earn the FAA certification, DoorDash was required to obtain approval for its drones’ airworthiness, maintenance programs and safety procedures, the company said.
DoorDash already offers drone delivery in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and Charlotte, North Carolina, in partnership with drone operators Wing, Flytrex and Manna. Those partnerships will continue, a company representative told CNET.
Company co-founder Stanley Tang said some restaurants saw a 30% increase in orders after DoorDash began drone deliveries last year.
DoorDash made its first delivery in early 2013 out of the back of co-founder Tony Xu’s Honda Accord. Last year, the company completed more than 3 billion deliveries in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Puerto Rico, reaching more than 56 million consumers. DoorDash dominates the food delivery service over competitors GrubHub and Uber Eats. CNET’s roundup of delivery services praised DoorDash for ease of use and for offering non-food items, such as beauty products, pet supplies and alcohol.
Drone delivery is a rapidly growing industry. One forecast shows the market growing from $5 billion this year to $21 billion by 2034, with an annual growth rate of 19.45%. Like DoorDash, competitor GrubHub also has a partnership with a drone company (Dexa) to deliver restaurant food. Wing, Zipline and Flytrex use their own drones to deliver meals from restaurants including Wendy’s, Little Caesars and Jersey Mike’s Subs.
Amazon, with its Prime Air, and Walmart also offer drone delivery in certain US markets.
No drone by demand
Although it may seem novel to order delivery via DoorDash drone — as these folks did — customers won’t necessarily have that choice. Depending on a variety of factors, DoorDash will complete the order either by a human Dasher, a Dot robot, an autonomous car or a drone. A customer won’t be able to choose drone delivery specifically, the company said.
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