Uber plans to fill skies with drones – The Wall Street Journal
DUBLIN – Let it never be said that Uber doesn't dream big. The company reportedly has plans to fill the sky with a fleet of food-delivery drones by 2021. This, despite the fact that there are currently no regulatory frameworks in place in any major cities to manage the impact of thousands of autonomous drones popping up and down to street level with bags of hamburgers in tow. The plan also ignores the fact that Uber doesn't actually have any drones, and that there are potential challenges ranging from the impact of weather to the likelihood of theft that have yet to be addressed. The cynical might say that Uber is looking to juice its appeal to investors ahead of a planned IPO or that Uber is searching for a business line that will – unlike ride hailing – actually make money. The cynic in me says that drone delivery rollout will be much slower and patchier than Uber expects. But the lazy food consumer in me hopes we'll have it available locally soon. – Felicity Duncan
By Greg Bensinger and Andy Pasztor
(The Wall Street Journal) Uber Technologies Inc. envisions taking to the skies with a fleet of food-delivery drones in as little as three years, an ambitious timeline for a ride-hailing company that would face numerous technical challenges and regulatory hurdles.
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