Independent Oklahoma grocer Buy For Less is set to pilot autonomous supermarket delivery using self-driving vehicles. The service will be launched early next year and will eventually operate using ten vehicles. Buy For Less operates independent stores under four names; its namesake, Supermercado, Smart Saver and Uptown Grocery and has signed a contract with Udelv to work on the grocery delivery vehicles.
To begin the technology will operate with a backup driver and have a command centre monitoring the route of the vehicles to make corrections where necessary. Plans are for the service to run using ten vehicles but co-founder of Udelv, Daniel Laury has said that if the customer experience with these delivery vehicles is not impeccable, the service will be discontinued. The autonomous delivery was designed to help those living far from supermarkets to access healthy products.
