Pizza delivery without a driver: Domino’s tests out self-driving cars

Pizza may soon be delivered to your home by a self-driving car. But there is a catch: you have to put on your shoes and pick up the food from the car.

On Tuesday, Domino’s and Ford Motor Company announced they’re testing out self-driving cars as a way to deliver pizza.

Over the next few weeks, some customers in Ann Arbor, Mich., (Domino’s hometown), have the option to order pizza via an automated car.

The experiment will help Domino’s understand how customers will interact with a self-driving car, the company’s president, Russell Weiner said. Will they want the car in their driveway or by the curb? Will they understand how to use the keypad? Will they come outside if it’s raining or snowing?

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How it works

Customers will be able to track the delivery process with GPS and will receive a text message when the pizza delivery car has arrived. The customer then has to go to the curb or driveway and input a four digit code into a device on the side of the car and retrieve the pizza from a special window designed to keep it warm.

And no tip is required.

The delivery will initially be piloted by human drivers, who will be at the wheel in case there is a problem. But the front windows will be blacked out so customers do not interact with the driver.

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“As delivery experts, we’ve been watching the development of self-driving vehicles with great interest as we believe transportation is undergoing fundamental, dramatic change,” Patrick Doyle, Domino’s CEO said in a statement.

The company said it’s still trying to figure out how to get the pizza from the car to the door.

More self-driving car services

A number of other companies are testing out self-driving cars — especially for services like groceries, prepared food and beverages.

Volvo, Tesla and Google have invested hundreds of millions of dollars and logged millions of kilometres to test drive autonomous vehicles.

Amazon has been exploring ways to use automated vehicles for delivery, Uber Technologies launched driverless car as an experiment in Pittsburgh and a British company, Ocado, designed a self-driving grocery delivery service.

Ford plans to begin production of self-driving vehicles in 2021.

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With files from the Associated Press