Cruise and DoorDash to test autonomous deliveries

Autonomous vehicle developer Cruise Automation and last-mile delivery company DoorDash are teaming up to launch autonomous food and grocery delivery in early 2019, the companies said January 3.

The San Francisco-based companies said they will pilot food and grocery delivery by Cruise's autonomous vehicles through the DoorDash platform, which provides home delivery from local merchants to customers in 3,000 cities across the United States and Canada. The testing program will begin in early 2019 in the San Francisco market, the companies said.

DoorDash said it is using Cruise's vehicles to test and improve the efficiency of getting food and groceries from its merchants to its customers' doors. As part of the program, select customers will receive deliveries from their favorite restaurants via a Cruise autonomous vehicle, the company said.

DoorDash said it is also exploring grocery fulfillment via Cruise vehicles for some of its existing grocery partners. DoorDash announced a partnership with WalMart for grocery delivery in April 2018 and launched a partnership for delivery of ready-made meals from food retailer Whole Foods in 2016.