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In Chicago, a pair of delivery robots have recently stirred up trouble, being held responsible for causing damage around the city.
Mayor Brandon Johnson has addressed the growing concerns about the robots’ operations and the recent mishaps.
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Video footage captured two separate incidents where these autonomous food delivery machines collided with bus shelters, sparking a heated debate among locals over whether they serve as a public convenience or a potential hazard.
In Lincoln Park, these delivery robots have become a regular fixture, often seen gliding along sidewalks to deliver meals to eagerly waiting customers.
However, this past Sunday, a malfunction turned heads when a robot from Serve Robotics crashed into a CTA bus shelter at the intersection of Grand and Racine in West Town.
Then on Monday, a robot operated by Coco Robotics hit a bus shelter at North and Larrabee in Old Town.
Both Serve and Coco said they will pay for repairs and are looking into what the robots to get off track.
The back-to-back incidents are unsettling to Lincoln Park resident Melissa Bers, who says she was not a fan of the robots to begin with.
“I think that it takes away jobs from people,” Bers said. “Second of all, i think they’re dangerous to cars, to people, animals get scared of them.”
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Coco first came to the city in late 2024, while Serve rolled out its robots in September, as part of a pilot program launched by the departments of transportation and business affairs and consumer protection.
Mayor Johnson said Wednesday he’s aware of incidents and that the pilot program, in effect until May of 2027, is a way to see what works and what needs to be improved.
“There’s clearly a need for these forms of deliveries, and it’s going to certainly give us an opportunity to reflect on city assets, clearly the strength of these particular devices,” Johnson said. “Whether it’s glass or any other form that’s on display that could be disrupted or interrupted.”
A petition to end the delivery robot program has garnered more than 3,700 signatures.
Alderman Daniel LaSpata declined to allow the robot companies to expand beyond us portion of the 1st Ward following negative feedback from people.
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