8 April 2026 [LONDON, UK] – Barnsley has become one of the UK’s next hubs for autonomous delivery, as a new robot-powered food delivery service has launched today.
The undisputed leader in autonomous last-mile delivery Starship Technologies has partnered with Just Eat to roll out a pilot scheme in North East Barnsley, bringing self-driving delivery robots to local streets. The launch will initially see a small number of the orange, talking robots serving thousands of residents, delivering hot meals directly from local restaurants to customers’ doors within minutes.
The launch comes as Barnsley builds its reputation as a centre for innovation, following its designation as the UK’s first government-backed “Tech Town.” Autonomous delivery is expected to play a key role in demonstrating how emerging technologies can be integrated into everyday life. The service starts in Carlton, Athersley, Monk Bretton and Lundwood, serving 11,000 households.
Starship robots have completed nearly 10 million deliveries around the world – the only Physical AI that is proven at that scale – already a familiar sight in communities across the UK. Operating with industry-leading Level 4 autonomy, they can navigate pavements, avoid obstacles and cross roads safely without human intervention. This makes Starship robots uniquely cost-effective and safe, crossing 125,000 roads every day around the world.
The Barnsley rollout is expected to contribute to long-term economic growth. An economic impact assessment by Prysm Global found that scaling autonomous delivery across the UK could unlock £1.3 billion in Gross Value Added (GVA) for the national economy by 2035, alongside hundreds of high-skilled jobs.
Barnsley could see an estimated £3.9 million GVA uplift as adoption of robot delivery becomes more popular, highlighting the potential for towns like Barnsley to benefit from next-generation logistics and automation.
As well as boosting productivity, robot delivery services are expected to reduce congestion and cut emissions by replacing short car journeys, while improving access to food and essentials for residents, including those with limited mobility. In the UK alone, around 25% of Starship users have a disability or live with someone who does.
Starship is the global leader in autonomous delivery, with over 2,700 robots operating across 270 locations around the world. Founded in 2014, the firm’s robots have been serving UK customers since 2018, and have completed almost 10 million deliveries to date.
Mert Öztekin, Chief Technology Officer at Just Eat said: “Our ground robotics trials are all about innovating to improve the customer experience. We’ve teamed up with a diverse range of local independent restaurants to trial the Starship robots and we’ll be listening to their feedback closely, as well as that of our customers.”
Ahti Heinla, Founder and Chief Executive of Starship Technologies, said: “Our little robots have been providing a much-loved service to communities across the UK since 2018, and we’re excited to launch in Barnsley with Just Eat today. Barnsley is exactly the kind of community we built Starship for — where technology serves people ethically and respectfully. We’re confident locals will enjoy the quick convenience our robots bring, making life a little easier for people. They’re polite and friendly, and they can’t wait to make new friends!”
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Notes to Editors
About Starship Technologies
- Starship Technologies was launched in 2014 by two of Skype’s co-founders, Janus Friis and Ahti Heinla, who is also its CEO. The company has so far raised over $230mn from investors.
- Before founding the company, Ahti had entered a competition to design a robot for Nasa. He didn’t win, but Ahti and Janus went on to patent the technology and launch Starship Technologies.
- Starship is undisputed leader #1 in autonomous last-mile delivery. Its fleet of more than 2,700 robots has driven over 12 million miles and completed almost 10 million deliveries around the world – the first and only robot delivery service to do so.
- The robots cross 125,000 roads globally every day, or 2 per second.
- Starship has offices in London, Milton Keynes and San Francisco, and engineering offices in Estonia and Helsinki.
- The company now operates in the USA, UK, Finland, Estonia, Sweden Switzerland, Czechia and Germany.
- In the UK, Starship currently works with the Co-op delivering to thousands of households in Leeds, Wakefield, Greater Manchester, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and Milton Keynes. The company also operates on dozens of university campuses in the United States.
- Starship is focused on a UK-wide expansion programme, rolling its service out to towns and cities across the country.
Media Contacts
Jonathan Vernon, Account Director at Woburn Partners
Email: jonathan.vernon@woburnpartners.com
