BENTONVILLE, Arkansas — Walmart announced the continued expansion of its drone delivery service.
In a statement released on the company’s corporate website, Walmart officials said, “We continue to expand our delivery operation to help customers get the items they need when they need them, and it’s been an exciting journey.”
The program, dubbed “DroneUp”, will be expanding to 34 sites by the end of 2022, said a company spokesperson. This expansion will include increases in delivery services in Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Texas, Utah, and Virginia.
Customers, according to Walmart, will be able to use the service between 8:00 a.m. and 8 p.m. with a delivery fee of $3.99. Items weighing up to 10 pounds will be delivered to customers’ locations.
The company went on to say that Walmart packages will not be the only things the drone service will deliver. “A core value at Walmart is to give back to the communities in which we operate, which is why as we scale our drone infrastructure, we’ll continue to influence the expansion of drone technology and enable other businesses to explore its benefits, too. This means DroneUp will offer local businesses and municipalities aerial drone solutions in areas like insurance, emergency response, and real estate. For example, a local construction agency can work with DroneUp to monitor on-site job progress through aerial drone photography.”
Walmart has yet to announce the inclusion of Ohio in it’s expansion efforts.
