Starship delivery robots roll onto the University of Minnesota campus in a one-year Minneapolis pilot

MINNEAPOLIS, December 2024 — Sidewalk delivery robots have been running on the University of Minnesota's Minneapolis campus since October. Here's what the pilot has done so far, what it costs, and what went wrong.

Cost and outcome (as of Dec. 18, 2024)

Fleet: 15 electric robots, according to the university's Center for Transportation Studies and the Star Tribune; the permit request was for six to 10. (CTS)
Orders: about 1,200 deliveries since launch. (CTS)
Price to customers: about $2.50 per delivery plus a 10% service fee. (Star Tribune)
Cost to the university, revenue and order values: not disclosed.

What the university did

On Aug. 15, the Minneapolis City Council approved a one-year pilot program for "personal delivery devices," MPR News reported. At the time, the university's permit request was for six to 10 robots delivering from Coffman Memorial Union to East Bank buildings. Permit conditions include a 5 mph speed limit, obeying traffic laws and yielding to traffic, and a remote operator who can take over. The city can grant up to three permits.

Service began in October. The university's release calls it the first university-run food delivery service on the Twin Cities campus and the first technology of its kind approved in Minneapolis. Customers order from Panda Express, Starbucks and Erbert & Gerbert's in Coffman Union. When the robot arrives, they unlock it with the app.

CTS says customers "pay a few dollars for delivery within 30 minutes." The robots travel up to four miles per hour, and solar-powered charging stations are due on campus in spring 2025.

"Starship's delivery service fulfills the University's commitment to accessibility by offering a convenient option for students, faculty and staff who may have mobility issues or tight schedules," said Alice Roberts-Davis, vice president of University Services, in the release. Chris Neider, Starship's vice president of business development, said the company has been delivering on college campuses since 2019.

Why the university wanted it

Emissions were part of the case. "These being fully electric was a big point that the University was interested in," Chris Elrod, senior director of marketing and communications for M Food Co., told CTS. CTS scholar Frank Douma, who studies policy and legal issues around self-driving vehicles at the Humphrey School, said the service "will get people more familiar with autonomous vehicles or vehicles that are able to maneuver themselves."

CTS also passes on a Starship claim: the robots use less energy per delivery than boiling a kettle for a cup of tea. We have not seen the company's math. The university has committed to cutting carbon emissions 60% from 2019 levels over the next decade.

What went wrong

Labor questions. "While getting a pizza delivered by a cute toy robot sounds fun, there are impacts," Council Member Robin Wonsley said at the vote. She wants the city to hold a "robust conversation" with labor and community groups, MPR News reported.
Fleet larger than the request. The permit request was for six to 10 robots, while CTS now says 15. We have not seen the permit as issued.
Small numbers. About 1,200 deliveries in roughly two months is a modest test. The university hasn't published orders per day or delivery times.
One campus, three restaurants. The pilot covers the East Bank and three Coffman Union outlets.
What we don't know yet: what M Food Co. pays Starship, whether the pilot covers its costs, and what the council will need to see to extend it.

Our follow-up question for the University of Minnesota

What will the university and the city measure to decide whether the pilot continues after its first year?

Later developments (added Oct. 2026)

On Feb. 7, 2025, the Star Tribune reported that the council was considering regulating the robots. It described a fleet of 12, according to Starship, fewer than the 15 cited in the fall, and a council committee asked for a report on their impact on workers by April 9. (Star Tribune)
On Dec. 17, 2025, Food On Demand reported that 14 months in, the fleet had "more than a dozen robots" and a Sonic was serving inside a student hub. Elrod, by then a regional marketing director at Chartwells, said the robots had increased sales volumes enough to justify their presence, according to Food On Demand's summary. (Food On Demand)
On June 4, 2026, Starship said it would wind down its U.S. campus operations (Starship; Food On Demand; Part 3). As of Oct. 25, 2026, we found no University of Minnesota statement on an end date.

Sources

University of Minnesota, “Food delivery robots are rolling around the University of Minnesota,” Oct. 9, 2024. twin-cities.umn.edu
Emma McIntyre, Center for Transportation Studies, “AVs roll onto U of M campus for food delivery pilot project,” Dec. 18, 2024. cts.umn.edu
MPR News, “Robot delivery approved for the U of M campus,” Aug. 15, 2024. mprnews.org
Caleb Fravel, Star Tribune, “Robots are rolling around University of Minnesota delivering food,” Nov. 22, 2024. startribune.com
Deena Winter, Star Tribune, “Minneapolis City Council eyes regulating delivery robots at U of M,” Feb. 7, 2025. startribune.com
Hans Lammeman, Food On Demand, “Food-Delivery Robots Navigate Finals Week at University of Minnesota,” Dec. 17, 2025. foodondemand.com
Starship Technologies, “Starship Technologies Doubles Down on Grocery,” June 4, 2026 (company background for the fact file). starship.xyz
Hans Lammeman, Food On Demand, “Starship CEO Explains Decision to Halt U.S. University Operations,” June 10, 2026. foodondemand.com

Disclosure: [not in copy] Editor placeholder