Uber is partnering with autonomous drone delivery company Zipline to integrate aerial deliveries into Uber Eats, with the companies targeting one million drone deliveries per day by the end of 2029. The first services are expected to begin in the United States later in 2026.
Under the agreement, customers will continue to place orders through Uber Eats. Where drone delivery is available and suitable for an order, Zipline’s autonomous delivery system can be used instead of a conventional courier. Uber is also making an undisclosed strategic investment in Zipline as part of the partnership.
The cooperation fits into Uber’s broader effort to combine different forms of automated delivery within the same platform. Alongside human couriers, the company is already working with developers of sidewalk delivery robots and other autonomous systems. The Zipline agreement adds autonomous aircraft to that network on a potentially much larger scale.
Zipline’s Platform 2 system is designed specifically for home delivery. The main electric aircraft travels autonomously between a distribution site and the delivery area, generally flying at an altitude of more than 300 feet. Rather than landing at the customer’s address, it remains in the air while a smaller delivery device, known as a droid, descends on a tether.
The droid uses sensors and onboard controls to position the package at a designated location such as a doorstep, driveway or patio. It then returns to the aircraft, which flies back to its operating base. This approach allows deliveries without requiring the larger drone to find a suitable landing area close to a house.
Platform 2 has been developed for relatively small orders, with payload capacity of around 6 to 8 pounds, or approximately 2.7 to 3.6 kilograms. Its operating radius is about 10 miles from a Zipline dock, making the system primarily suited to food, retail and other local deliveries.
Uber says drone delivery could reduce delivery times for suitable orders to around five to ten minutes. Whether those times can be achieved consistently will depend on factors including the distance to the customer, the location of Zipline infrastructure and local operating conditions.
Expansion of autonomous delivery
Zipline has already completed more than 2.7 million commercial deliveries globally and operates autonomous delivery networks on several continents. Its earlier systems have been used extensively for medical logistics, while Platform 2 is intended to extend the technology to residential and retail delivery.
The Uber agreement would require a substantial expansion of those operations. One million deliveries per day would correspond to roughly 365 million deliveries a year if that level were sustained, far above Zipline’s current delivery volume.
Uber has previously signed autonomous delivery agreements with companies including Flytrex, Avride and Manna. These partnerships cover a mix of drones, sidewalk robots and autonomous vehicles.
The addition of Zipline shows how Uber is increasingly positioning its platform as a coordination layer between customers and different delivery technologies. Instead of developing its own delivery robots or drones, it can use external autonomous systems alongside its existing courier network and select between them depending on the order and location.
The first Uber Eats deliveries using Zipline are planned for later in 2026, followed by expansion to additional US cities. The companies have not disclosed the financial terms of Uber’s investment or how many drones will initially be deployed.
