• by Chuck Martin , December 18, 2018

Kroger is starting the launch of its first unmanned delivery service of groceries to the general public.

The retailer has been working with Nuro and its self-driving vehicles in tests of a self-driving grocery delivery service in Scottsdale, Ariz., with an autonomous Prius fleet accompanied by vehicle operators. The autonomous vehicles have completed nearly 1,000 deliveries to the general public, according to Kroger.

The new launch involves expanding to include Nuro’s unmanned vehicle called the R1, which travels on public roads, has no driver and transports only things, not people.

"Kroger customers are looking for new, convenient ways to feed their families and purchase the products they need quickly through services like pickup and delivery," stated Yael Cosset, Kroger's chief digital officer.  "Our autonomous delivery pilot over the past few months continues to prove the benefit of the flexible and reliable technology."

With the program, customers of Fry’s Food Stores can place delivery orders for delivery seven days a week and can be scheduled for same-day or next-day delivery by Nuro’s fleet of R1s for a flat fee of $5.95.