Starship launches autonomous delivery services to Milton Keynes
Starship Technologies, provider of autonomous delivery services, is launching a brand new package delivery service in the UK today. This new service, available now to the public of Milton Keynes, will be the world’s first commercial offering of autonomous package delivery on the ground.
Starship’s service gives consumers complete control over when their packages arrive.
Traditional deliveries are increasingly arriving late, with the number of late deliveries across all service types having increased 100% in the last two years, according to the IMRG MetaPack Delivery Index. Citizens Advice say when people have an issue with their delivery, they spend an average of 2.5 hours sorting out the problem each time, while parcels not arriving cost the Royal Mail nearly £8 million in compensation last year.
The new service is available from today through an app (iOS and Android),
with residents living in the neighbourhoods serviced in Milton Keynes able to have packages delivered to their front door whenever they choose at the click of a button. Once signed-up on the app, people will receive a ‘personal address’ in place of their home address or whichever location they normally get parcels delivered to.
This personal address will be the location of a local facility managed by Starship, and consumers will be notified via the app when their package has arrived there. They can then choose a time for one of Starship’s robots to deliver it to their home, place of work or other nearby location, while also being able to track the robot’s journey in real time via the app.
“We’re excited that thanks to our technology, local communities across Milton Keynes will never miss a home delivery again,” said Lex Bayer, Starship’s Chief Executive Officer. “Today more than ever, people lead busy and diverse lives. The hassle of needing to re-arrange your life for a delivery will become a thing of the past. No more having to switch your working from home day, rescheduling meetings, visit a locker, drive to a sorting office or contact a courier all because of a missed delivery. Starship gets packages to consumers when and where they want them. This is the only service of its kind available in the world today, and it works around your lifestyle.”
Lex added: “Consumers are in control – they choose when an order comes to their door and there’s no need to use a locker service to collect deliveries. We provide the locker and the delivery, saving time and making consumers’ lives easier.”
Starship Technologies was founded in July 2014 by two Skype co-founders, Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis, with Lex Bayer joining as CEO in June 2018 from Airbnb. To date, the company’s robots have covered over 125,000 miles in 20 countries and over 100 cities around the world, encountering millions of people along the way.
