Hoboken's Getting 20 Delivery Robots Soon: See When, Where

HOBOKEN, NJ — Two types of delivery robots will be coming to the city of Hoboken for a 12-month pilot program, officials announced Friday.

The program, approved by the City Council, will analyze how low-speed, electric delivery robots (also known as Personal Delivery Devices or “PDDs”) can support local businesses, while helping reduce traffic.

The city will enter a 12-month partnership with Coco Robotics and Avride. Both companies have already placed robots in Jersey City.

The program will start this coming Thursday with 10 robots from Coco and 10 from Avride, and will only increase with city approval, the city said in an announcement Friday.

The robots roll at a maximum speed of 6 MPH, mimicking pedestrian speeds, the city said. Their usual speed is 2 MPH, officials said.

The city will receive $6,000 for running the program.

How To Summon The Robots

They will first operate only within a small zone in the city's south waterfront neighborhood.

"The program will support local jobs with Coco and Avride in robot operations, maintenance, charging, and field response, while providing the city with data on deliveries, miles traveled, emissions avoided, pedestrian access, as well as community feedback," said a release.

“This carefully structured pilot gives Hoboken an opportunity to support our local businesses and responsibly test a different approach to local deliveries while prioritizing pedestrian safety, accessibility, sustainability, and accountability,” said Mayor Emily Jabbour. “I look forward to hearing residents and the business community's feedback as we work to utilize all the information we gather to determine whether this technology can be a positive addition to our city.”

“This is what good government looks like: working together, putting safety first, and thinking ahead,” said 1st Ward Councilman Paul Presinzano, who represents the south waterfront part of town. “We are putting in responsible guardrails before the delivery robot pilot launches, with a channel for resident feedback built in from day one. I am pleased Mayor Jabbour and I collaborated to ensure we took a proactive approach."

The robots are designed to yield to pedestrians and other sidewalk users at all times and are designed to slow down, stop, or reroute when necessary.

Operations will be limited and prohibited from certain parks and other locations, the city said.

Coco and Avride will park the robots in areas without heavy pedestrian traffic and move them off-street overnight.

Residents will be able to access robotic food delivery through the same apps they already use to order from local restaurants and businesses. When placing an order through DoorDash, Uber Eats, or Grubhub/ Wonder, customers may be able to select Coco or Avride as a delivery option if the business is participating in the program.

If available for the order and delivery location, the customer can select robotic delivery at checkout, track the order through the app, and receive instructions when the robot arrives for pickup.

Stores and customers can also decline food deliveries by robot.

“We’ve seen across the cities where we operate, including right next door in Jersey City, how autonomous delivery can help local businesses get orders to customers more efficiently and reliably,” said Carl Hansen, vice president, head of government relations at Coco Robotics. “We’re excited to bring Coco to Hoboken and expand access to a new way of delivering food and goods throughout the community."

The Coco and Avride robots also operate in Philadelphia, Chicago, Miami, Helsinki, Atlanta, Austin, and Los Angeles, among others.

For more information on Hoboken’s laws about delivery robots, CLICK HERE.