The UK Entry
Coco Robotics, one of the largest sidewalk robot delivery operators in the U.S. and Europe, is launching in the United Kingdom through an exclusive partnership with Deliveroo, the DoorDash-owned platform, starting in London's Canary Wharf this October. The rollout will extend to Milton Keynes, Leeds, Stockton on Tees, and Nottingham in the coming weeks — marking Coco's first footprint outside the U.S. and Continental Europe and Deliveroo's first deployment of autonomous delivery vehicles in the UK.
At launch, Canary Wharf consumers will be able to order from Patty&Bun, bakery Signorelli, and cafe-restaurant Beam via the Deliveroo app. A wider merchant pool — including Ole & Steen, Royal China, and Din Tai Fung — is slated to come online in a second phase. Milton Keynes will open with Smoke and Pepper among its initial restaurant partners. Each city deployment is being phased in alignment with local regulations and supported by new depot and charging infrastructure, with Coco investing in UK operations, maintenance, and logistics roles across all five markets.
How the Robots Operate
Coco's fully electric bots travel at walking pace along sidewalks, using onboard sensors, cameras, and AI-driven navigation that processes environmental data at the edge — no cloud dependency required. The system enforces location-specific speed limits and routing policies through control software, and human supervising operators are trained on local street conditions before each new market opens. The robots are designed to yield to pedestrians and integrate into existing urban traffic flow without requiring dedicated infrastructure.
Zach Rash, CEO and co-founder of Coco Robotics, said the UK interest has been "incredible" and framed the launch as an opportunity to give local merchants a reliable additional delivery channel. Miki Kuusi, CEO of Deliveroo and Head of DoorDash International, described autonomous delivery as a mechanism to bring "more flexibility" to Deliveroo's rider network and help restaurants and shops meet growing consumer demand. Deliveroo's existing rider workforce will continue to handle the majority of orders.
Accessibility and Market Context
The UK rollout also activates a BlindSquare integration: Coco's robots will share real-time data on sidewalk hazards — construction obstructions, discarded e-scooters — directly into the BlindSquare self-voicing app, giving blind and partially sighted pedestrians advance notice of obstacles. Ilkka Pirttimaa, BlindSquare's founder, called the London expansion "a major step forward" for accessible urban navigation.
For the foodservice and convenience channel, the Coco-Deliveroo partnership signals continued pressure on last-mile logistics across dense urban markets. Coco has completed more than 500,000 zero-emission deliveries for over 4,500 restaurants and retailers across the U.S. and Europe since its 2020 founding. Its existing U.S. deployment spans Los Angeles, San Jose, Chicago, Miami, and Washington D.C. through partnerships with DoorDash and Wolt — the same platform family now backing the UK push. DoorDash is simultaneously operating its own in-house robot, Dot, in the Phoenix metro area, underscoring how delivery aggregators are building redundant autonomous capacity alongside third-party operators. For convenience and quick-service operators watching last-mile costs and off-premise order volume, the multi-city UK scale-up offers a live case study in robot-augmented delivery economics.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
