DoorDash Introduces Drone Deliveries in Australia, Powered by Alphabet's 'Wing'

DoorDash partners with Wing, an Alphabet subsidiary, as the two companies launch drone deliveries in Australia. Through the "DoorDash Air" section of the application, customers can place an order and receive their items in less than 30 minutes.

(Photo : Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 04: A Doordash sticker is seen on a window at Mallenche Mexican Grill in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn on December 04, 2020 in New York City. Food delivery startup DoorDash Inc is expected to raise its U.S. initial public offering up to $3.14 billion.

DoorDash Air in Australia

Starting this week, DoorDash will be launching DoorDash Air to a small portion of its users in Logan, Australia. Through this, users will be able to place an order for grocery items like pantry items, home supplies, and snacks on the DoorDash App, which will be delivered through drones in 15 minutes or less.

The company teamed up with Alphabet's Wing as both companies will provide a much more convenient way of delivering orders to their customers. As TechCrunch reported, the DoorDash Air carousel will be highlighting the items that can be delivered to customers through drones. As of now, only Logan and other selected cities in Australia will be having this feature such as Berrinba, Browns Plains, Crestmead, Heritage Park, Kingston, Logan Central, Marsden, Regents Park, and Waterford West.

DoorDash Australia General Manager Rebecca Burrows stated that this will contribute to the company's aim to provide an excellent delivery service. "DoorDash delivery drones create a quick, efficient delivery option for smaller orders weighing just over a kilo, and free up ground delivery services for larger deliveries that provide better compensation to drivers," she added.

Customers will also be asked to specify a spot for both the drone and delivery package will be safe to land. After this, DoorDash will be confirming to the customers if the specified spot is clear before the order is completed.

Wing Partnership

Wing noted on their blog that the partnership is an innovation as they open their platform to other delivery services. "While Wing has traditionally provided delivery services directly to residential and business customers, to further accelerate our technology development, we'll be increasingly working with marketplaces and logistics partners to expand their delivery options," Wing Australia GM Simon Rossi stated.

Engadget reported that this partnership is a big step for Wing as it will be the first time that the company will be offering its services through a third-party application. As for DoorDash, this might be also a part of the company's commitment to autonomous delivery tech.

Wing has been continuously keeping its scope in a much smaller circle as they only focus on selected markets like several cities in Australia, Finland, and US' Virginia, and Texas.

Aside from DoorDash, CNet also stated in their report that other companies have also introduced drone deliveries in the United States, this includes Amazon and Walmart. Only last year when Walgreens also teamed up with Wing to launch this program in Dallas. This has been used by several companies since the US Federal Aviation Administration allowed drone deliveries in 2020.

This article is owned by TechTimes

Written by Inno Flores