Amazon will expand drone delivery to 500 U.S. communities

Amazon announced on Wednesday that it was expanding its drone delivery service, which will cover hundreds of U.S. cities and towns by the end of the year, increasing its coverage area, UNN reports, citing Reuters.

Details

The expansion comes more than a decade after company founder Jeff Bezos demonstrated the so-called octocopters, or unmanned drones, in 2013 and predicted that the service would become available within four to five years.

Amazon currently makes drone deliveries from 11 locations, including Papillion, Nebraska, and Ruskin, Florida. The company plans to expand coverage to Syracuse, New York, and the Cleveland area, as well as other regions. One delivery center can cover several cities within a radius of approximately 7.5 miles. Amazon said that the broad rollout would expand coverage to approximately 500 communities.

Since 2013, Amazon has upgraded its Prime Air drone several times. Earlier models landed to deliver packages; the current version, known as the MK30, hovers a few feet above the ground and releases them.

Drone delivery costs $4.99 for customers, or $2 less for Prime members, and the fee is waived for orders of $50 or more.

Additionally

The publication notes that the company will have to obtain regulatory approval in each of the communities where it plans to operate, which often requires hearings before local councils and consideration of residents' feedback. According to Amazon, the company has permission from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to fly drones in most areas of the United States.

For example, at a planning and zoning board meeting in Nampa, Idaho, in May, Amazon executive Sam Bailey was questioned for about an hour about drone noise, safety and logistics, while residents who opposed the service for various reasons, including bird safety, were also heard. Ultimately, the board voted unanimously to approve the launch of the service.

Bailey said the drones would be audible for about 20 seconds during descent and subsequent takeoff, with the noise level lower than that of a lawn mower. "It is a short-lived experience," he said. "Although this is a new innovation, so it will seem different, it will be no different from a delivery truck driving down your street."