Waymo partners with DoorDash to pilot autonomous deliveries in Phoenix

Waymo has announced a partnership with DoorDash to offer autonomous vehicle deliveries in Phoenix, Arizona. Initially, deliveries will be limited to items ordered through DashMart, DoorDash’s convenience and grocery storefront, with plans to expand to more local merchants and a wider variety of offerings over time.

To use the service, DoorDash customers in Phoenix must place an order and opt in to “autonomous delivery” during checkout. When the Waymo vehicle arrives, customers will need to step outside and collect their order from the car’s trunk to complete the delivery — unlike standard DoorDash orders that are handed to you at your door.

• Location: Phoenix, Arizona (Waymo’s existing service area)
• Initial inventory: DashMart convenience and grocery items
• How it works: Opt-in at checkout & pickup from the vehicle’s trunk
• Background: Waymo previously ran a similar Uber Eats pilot in 2024

Waymo already operates Waymo One, a robotaxi service in Arizona, and has experimented with partnerships to extend the Waymo Driver into delivery use cases. The company explored long-haul autonomous trucking in 2020 but abandoned those plans by 2023 to prioritize robotaxis and its core Waymo Driver software. These DoorDash and Uber Eats pilots suggest Waymo is testing smaller-scale delivery applications alongside ride services.

This model offers potential benefits — increased vehicle utilization and a contactless delivery option that could reduce driver labor — but it also changes the convenience equation for customers who expect doorstep delivery. Early rollouts will likely focus on logistics, safety checks and customer acceptance before any major expansion.

For more details, see the announcement and coverage here: Engadget: Waymo will also drive for DoorDash in Phoenix.

Discussion: Would you be comfortable picking up deliveries from an autonomous vehicle, or does doorstep delivery remain essential?