Grubhub pulls food-delivery robots with Russian ties from UA campus

Grubhub removed food-delivery robots from the University of Arizona’s Tucson campus after ending their partnership with a Russian corporation they partnered with to provide the service.

“We will be ending our partnership with Yandex,” a Grubhub spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “We take seriously our commitment to the universities that we partner with – and ultimately the student diners who order from the Grubhub platform – to make food ordering and delivery available on campus. We’re working with our campus partners on alternate service options as we shift away from Yandex over time.”

The University of Arizona was one of two college campuses in the United States to have offered the delivery option, according to Grubhub. The second, Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, also cut ties with the delivery robots.

The partnership between Grubhub and Yandex, a Russian corporation known for their search engine software and ride-share services, was first announced in July 2021. Grubhub said Yandex’s delivery robots use self-driving technologies, including autonomous navigation of pavements, pedestrian areas and crosswalks, a July 2021 statement reads.

In November, the company announced the deployment of Yandex Self-Driving Group’s robot delivery technology, also known as “rovers,” on the Tucson campus.

The University of Arizona’s Student Union said in a social media post Thursday that they will continue their business operations with Grubhub.

“Due to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, Arizona Student Unions and Arizona Dining will cease doing business with Yandex, a Russian multi-national public traded company and the hardware provider of the robot couriers on campus,” said University of Arizona’s student union.. “Our team will continue to work with @grubhub as they secure a new robot courier delivery solution in the coming weeks.”