Delivery robots are coming to Bedford streets

Delivery robots are coming to Bedford streets – and will bring your groceries straight to your door.

Already a familiar sight in nearby Milton Keynes, the collaboration between the council and Starship Technologies, in partnershp with the Co-op, will mean the robots will be delivering to up to 20,000 households in the town.

Mayor Dave Hodgson, said: “I’m delighted that the council and Starship are working together with Co-op for innovative solutions to grocery delivery - it is exciting to see the robots on our streets.

"It has the potential to make life easier for thousands of residents across Bedford and Kempston while also reducing congestion. Hopefully the trial will be a success which would allow us to extend the benefits of quick and easy deliveries to more people across the Borough.”

And they’re good for the environment too, say Starship, with each of the bots using as little energy as boiling a kettle to make a cuppa.

Orders are made through the Starship food delivery app with groceries picked fresh in local Co-op stores and delivered in as little as an hour or less.

Just pick your groceries, schedule their delivery, then drop a pin where you want your delivery to be sent.

You can even watch in real-time via an interactive map as the robot makes its journey. Once it arrives you’ll receive an alert and can meet and unlock it through the app.

The robots are lightweight and travel at the speed of a pedestrian – no faster than 4mph.