Deliveroo plans to put four-wheeled delivery robots on British sidewalks, giving customers another way to get dinner home while testing how well autonomous delivery fits into everyday city life.
Deliveroo announced an exclusive partnership with Coco Robotics on Oct. 5, with deliveries scheduled to begin in London’s Canary Wharf this October. The rollout marks Coco’s UK debut and Deliveroo’s first use of autonomous delivery vehicles in the country.
The four-wheeled, fully electric robots will initially operate around Wood Wharf, serving merchants including Patty&Bun, Signorelli and Beam. Deliveroo plans to expand the service to Milton Keynes, Leeds, Stockton-on-Tees and Nottingham in the coming weeks and months.
Deliveroo said deployments will proceed in phases under local regulations, with Coco also discussing further launches with councils. The companies say investment in depots, charging facilities and other operational infrastructure will create jobs in maintenance, logistics and operations.
Coco’s UK launch follows existing deployments with DoorDash and Wolt in cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami and Helsinki. DoorDash acquired Deliveroo in 2025, making the UK rollout part of a wider push into automated delivery.
Built for short urban trips
Coco’s robots travel at walking pace and use cameras, sensors and AI to navigate sidewalks and deliver orders directly to customers. The technology is designed mainly for short-distance trips. That makes it a complement to Deliveroo’s existing rider network rather than a replacement for it, at least initially.
Deliveroo said the majority of orders will continue to be handled by its human riders, although it has not specified what percentage robots could eventually handle.
Miki Kuusi, CEO at Deliveroo and head of DoorDash International, said the company sees “huge potential in autonomous delivery” and expects the partnership to give restaurants and shops more flexibility as demand grows.
The accessibility angle
There is an unusual benefit beyond getting food to customers. Coco’s robots will share real-time sidewalk hazard information with BlindSquare, including obstacles such as construction barriers and abandoned e-scooters. The data can be used to improve navigation alerts for blind and partially sighted pedestrians.
“This isn’t theoretical anymore. We’re seeing firsthand how Coco’s real-time sidewalk data delivers tangible safety improvements for our users in every city where we operate together,” BlindSquare founder Ilkka Pirttimaa said.
That could give the robots a useful public role beyond delivery, although their growing presence on sidewalks will also make careful coordination with cities and pedestrians increasingly important.
What this means for your orders
If you live within the initial Wood Wharf service area, your order may soon arrive by robot, but only from a handful of merchants. Elsewhere, expect to wait. Most orders will still come from riders, and the launch announcement does not explain how customers are matched with a robot.
For now, that makes Coco more of an extra delivery option than a replacement for riders. The robots are best suited to short trips in dense areas, so their usefulness will depend on where you live, which restaurants participate and whether a robot is available when you order.
For restaurants and retailers, the rollout offers a test of robot delivery for short local trips. Its business value will depend on delivery reliability, coverage and costs—practical measures to watch as the service expands.
Read more: DoorDash’s automation push also extends to the skies, with FAA approval for its own commercial drone delivery service.