'A robot delivered my fish and chips to my Sheffield home - next time I'll pick it up myself!'
This is how people in Sheffield feel about having their takeaways delivered by robots
Sheffield is seeing robots delivering people’s takeaways for the first time - but not everyone welcomes the idea.
The company, Starship, has rolled out the service in parts of the city, starting with Meersbrook. The automated carts are designed to pick up food from takeaways and deliver them to home addresses.
Now, one customer has described the experience - and says next time she’ll pick her food up herself!
The Star asked people in Sheffield city centre if they would be happy to use the service.
Alicia Kerry told how she had already experienced having her takeaway delivered by a robot.
Alicia, from Arbourthorne, in Sheffield, had a takeaway delivered from a takeaway at Manor Top to her home.
She said: “We actually had one last week from our fish and chip shop - and it wasn’t a good experience.
She said she received a bleep on her phone to tell her it was arriving, and pictures of it arriving. She said it waited at the gate for her.
She told The Star: “It literally took ages - we were waiting for ages, and then you’ve got to scan your phone on the top of it for it to open, and then put a code in, so it wasn’t the best experience.”
She said she would be reluctant to do it again. “I’d probably pick it up in the car,” she added.
Jordan Noble, from High Storrs, said he had a good experience of robots delivering, although that was from a supermarket, and not in Sheffield.
He said: “I’ve had it before with Tesco deliveries. I was in Milton Keynes for a weekend, and had a robot deliver there. It worked fine, so I’d be more than happy to give it a try.”
However, the idea of a robot dropping off your food isn’t for everyone.
Joyce Brawn, of Nether Edge said: “I need people, not a robot! I don’t even like my telephone.”
Laaura Buckley, from Middlewood laughed at the idea. She said: “No! I’d think that it was some sort of joke. I’d prefer a person, thank you!”
Simon Buckley, also from Middlewood, added: “I wouldn’t be unhappy about it, but you think sometimes we need to think about how far we need to push technology and how far we can just stick with someone delivering a takeaway.”
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Ahti Heinla, CEO and Co-founder of Starship, said previously: “Starship robots have been a much-loved part of daily life for communities across the UK since 2018: picking up shopping, dropping off essentials, there when people need them.
“Cutting out the short car trips that add up, our robots have already saved over 500,000 kg of emissions across Europe.
“We’re proud to bring that everyday convenience to 50 000 people in Sheffield, making robot deliveries just another normal part of the day.”