LONDON. The six-wheeled autonomous couriers, once a novelty on British pavements, have become a source of mounting friction. Starship Technologies, the Estonian company behind the ubiquitous white robots, now operates several hundred across Milton Keynes, Northampton, and Cambridge. But residents say the machines are creating hazards, blocking pushchairs and forcing wheelchair users into the road.
“We had to get out of the way,” said Margaret Tilley, a 72-year-old retiree from Milton Keynes, describing a recent encounter outside a Sainsbury’s Local. “It just stopped. Wouldn’t move. I had to step into the cycle lane.” Her account is one of dozens posted to local social media groups, where complaints range from minor inconvenience to concerns about safety for the elderly and disabled.
Starship Technologies insists its robots are designed to yield to pedestrians and are equipped with sensors to detect obstacles. In a statement, the company said it had logged “very few” conflict incidents. But local councils are beginning to act. Milton Keynes Council recently introduced a voluntary code of conduct, urging operators to give way to pedestrians. Cambridge City Council is considering formal regulation.
The backlash reflects a broader tension in Britain’s adoption of urban delivery technology. While the robots reduce carbon emissions and offer contactless service, their integration into crowded pedestrian spaces has proved problematic. “The infrastructure wasn’t designed for this,” said Dr. Alistair Finch, a transport researcher at University College London. “We’re seeing a classic collision between innovation and existing public space norms.”
Data from the Department for Transport shows that pedestrian casualty rates on pavements remain low, but campaigners argue that the robots create a “hostile environment” for vulnerable users. Guide Dogs UK has raised concerns about the impact on visually impaired people, who rely on predictable street layouts.
Starship has pledged to improve mapping and behaviour algorithms. But for now, British pedestrians are learning to share their paths with machines that don’t always play by the rules.
