ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The future of food delivery in New Mexico could look much different if a major delivery service’s plans come to fruition.
Representatives from DoorDash met with state lawmakers Tuesday to discuss the future of autonomous robot food delivery in the Land of Enchantment and to push for standardized regulations to allow the robots to operate on streets around the state.
“Steps toward a legal pathway begin with these conversations to ensure we have support at the state and local levels before moving forward,” said a DoorDash spokesperson in a written statement to KOB 4.
DoorDash’s autonomous robot named “Dot” is already operational in other parts of the country including in the streets (or mostly bike lanes) of Phoenix and San Francisco.
But some New Mexicans told KOB 4 they worry Albuquerque, in particular, could present a much more challenging location for the robots.
“You know, again, we don’t know until we try. And I know in Albuquerque, you do see the vandalism, the graffiti, and things like that,” said Andrew Lovato, who works at UNM.
Some New Mexicans may be familiar with autonomous robot delivery since it already exists here on college campuses.
For instance, another company, Grubhub, has operated robots on the UNM campus for about two years. But the question is whether leaving the confines of a college campus is a good idea.
“People are overestimating how much people are going to, like, kick them. I think they might get kicked,” said UNM student Cheyenne Hajagos. “But I really don’t know how often that would happen.”
DoorDash has not committed to a timeline for when the robots could roll out in our state as discussions with lawmakers continue. The company indicated this initial meeting was just part of its efforts to “explore an expansion in New Mexico.”
“Although we presented to the New Mexico Transportation Infrastructure Revenue Subcommittee on Tuesday, we have no immediate plans to roll out Dot in New Mexico,” confirmed a spokesperson via email.
But some New Mexicans are still hoping the company will one day be able to operate around the state to deliver fast food and groceries to those who would benefit from such a service.
“But I do feel like it is an opportunity for Albuquerque to grow and experience something new,” said Albuquerque resident Allicia Moya, who noted she saw similar robots often when she lived in Los Angeles.
DoorDash has maintained that its robots are not meant to replace human workers, addressing concerns that many people will be left without a job if/when the robots roll out in full.
However, the company has previously stated Dot is intended to handle short-distance deliveries between three and five miles that typically aren’t as profitable for human delivery drivers.
