Trials of self-driving pizza delivery cars get under way

Future looks bleak for takeaway delivery drivers as Ford and Domino’s test autonomous delivery service

The car, which can drive itself but will have a backup driver, lets customers tap in a code and retrieve their pizza from a warming space in the back seat.
The car, which can drive itself but will have a backup driver, lets customers tap in a code and retrieve their pizza from a warming space in the back seat.

Ford and Domino's Pizza have teamed up to see whether customers like having their food delivered by driverless cars. Some pizzas in Ann Arbor, Michigan, are arriving in a specially designed Ford Fusion fitted with radars and a camera used for autonomous testing.

A Ford engineer will be at the wheel, but customers will have to head outside and type a four-digit code into a keypad on the car to access a heated compartment with their food.

Ford and Domino’s said the six-week test will help them learn how customers react to driverless cars — including whether they will venture outside if it is raining or snowing.