- Deliveroo's robot delivery trials have been blasted by a UK trade union
- GMB Union says "innovation should not come at the expense of real people"
- It adds that the robot delivery plans weren't negotiated with workers
Deliveroo's first robot delivery trials in the UK have been heavily criticized by a trade union representing human couriers, which says they're "disappointing" and weren't negotiated with workers.
The UK's first Deliveroo robot deliveries will take place this month in London's Canary Wharf, after the delivery giant announced a partnership with Coco Robotics to use its fully-electric 'bots. Other trials will take place in Milton Keynes, Leeds, Stockton-on-Tees and Nottingham "in the coming weeks and months".
But the GMB Union, which represents couriers across Deliveroo's rider network, says the Nottingham trials represent an investment that hasn't been forthcoming to its human equivalents. "If Deliveroo can afford to invest in autonomous technology, why can it not invest properly in the workers who keep the platform running every day?", said Claude Bahati (GMB Organizer).
Another bone of contention for the GMB is the lack of dialogue with workers. "Innovation should not come at the expense of real people, and these developments must always be negotiated with workers," Claude Bahati added.
The prospect of Deliveroo's four-wheeled robots moving around city centers has understandably sparked some anger from human riders, who have been demanding better working conditions. "Food couriers continue to struggle with rising living costs and are calling for fairer pay and compensation for return journeys," said Claude Bahati.
"Decision makers must pay greater attention to the realities of the gig economy and ensure that riders are treated with dignity, respect and fairness. Deliveroo’s future must include investment in the people who have built its success, not just its technologies," they added.
We've asked Deliveroo to respond to the GMB Union's criticisms and will update this page when we receive a response.
Analysis: Do we really want robot deliveries?
We asked TechRadar readers in a poll (below) last week whether they'd be happy to have robots bringing their Deliveroo order to their door — and just under half (48%) said "no, I'd rather have a human deliver".
Robots weren't completely ruled out, with 31% of respondents saying "yes, why not — it's the future". But the sentiment right now, at least among our readers, is still a preference for human riders, despite the novelty of four-wheeled robots.
These flare-ups between delivery companies and human riders are only likely to increase, as Deliveroo is far from the only company experimenting with robotics. Evri recently announced a trial of its first two-legged robot delivery drivers in the UK, while in the US DoorDash revealed its new delivery drone for Northern California.
The debate will hinge on the benefits versus the costs to both customers and human workers. Deliveroo has promised that "the majority of orders will continue to be fulfilled by Deliveroo’s extensive rider network", and also pointed to their robots' ability to share real-time data on pavement hazards with a popular GPS navigation app, BlindSquare, for the blind and partially sighted.
But in the US, Amazon has recently come under fire in Texas for the noise created by its first Prime Air drones. Further, it remains to be seen whether four-wheeled robots, which are already trundling around cities like Los Angeles, Miami, and Helsinki on behalf of DoorDash, become a real threat to human couriers or just a niche pair of extra hands.