WASHINGTON, D.C. — The District Department of Transportation has issued permits to Serve Robotics and Coco Robotics to operate personal delivery devices in the city, adding two companies to the District’s roster of approved sidewalk-robot operators.
DDOT said the devices will provide door-to-door food delivery in the core of Washington. Both companies will deliver Uber Eats orders, while Coco will also work with DoorDash and merchants directly.
“Personal delivery devices offer an additional option for food delivery in the District and can be an alternative to trips made by larger vehicles,” DDOT Director Sharon Kershbaum said in the agency’s announcement. “We are excited to add this delivery option.”
Serve and Coco join Robot.com, formerly known as Kiwibot, as currently permitted personal-delivery-device companies in the District.
Under the permit framework, operators map their service areas before beginning deliveries. During each company’s first three months of operation, its starting zones may cover up to one square mile, with no more than 25 devices in the fleet. DDOT said operators may seek larger zones and fleets if their initial operations comply with permit terms and conditions.
The agency also said all permitted operators passed an initial field test examining how their devices interact with pedestrians with disabilities. The operating zone for each company is published through DDOT’s personal delivery device program page.
The small, wheeled devices are designed to carry orders along sidewalks rather than using a conventional delivery car. DDOT framed the newly permitted service as another transportation option that could replace some trips by larger vehicles.
The permits mark a further expansion of automated delivery service in Washington under DDOT oversight. The agency’s announcement did not specify a citywide launch date, and the initial operating areas and fleet limits mean service availability will depend on each company’s approved zone.
Source: District Department of Transportation, July 16, 2026.
Featured image: A delivery robot photographed in Washington, D.C., in 2017. Photo by Elvert Barnes via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. The pictured device is illustrative and is not identified as one of the newly permitted operators.
The Washington Herald
editorial@thewashingtonherald.com
Washington, D.C.
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