Uber partners with Zipline for US drone deliveries

Uber has announced a strategic partnership and investment in Zipline, an autonomous drone delivery company, to integrate drone services directly into the Uber Eats application in the United States.

The rollout is expected to begin by the end of 2025 or early 2026 in Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston, Texas, leveraging Zipline’s existing infrastructure in those regions. Following the initial launch, the companies plan to expand the service to dozens of other American cities. The integration allows users to select drone delivery as an option within the standard Uber Eats interface.

The partnership aims to drastically reduce delivery times, with estimates suggesting customers could receive food and everyday items within five to ten minutes. Uber and Zipline have set an ambitious long-term goal to reach one million drone deliveries per day by 2029. To achieve this, Zipline will need to scale its current global operations, which presently average one delivery every 20 seconds.