Can Serve Robotics Expand Sidewalk Autonomy at Urban Scale in 2026?

Autonomous delivery is entering a new stage of expansion as advanced robotics intersect with increasing urban demand. Serve Robotics Inc. (SERV) is positioned in this shift as it works to build a wide, connected sidewalk delivery network across key U.S. cities. The focus is on scaling safely, improving reliability and proving that autonomous movement can operate smoothly in dense urban zones.

In the third quarter of 2025, the company highlighted strong operational progress. Delivery volume increased sharply, reliability remained near peak levels and the safety record stayed solid. Serve Robotics expanded to multiple large metropolitan markets and gained broader reach through major delivery platforms, which supported stronger utilization and operating efficiency. The company also reported continued advancement in autonomy, with a higher share of miles driven in autonomous mode and reduced human intervention, reflecting improvement in real-world operating environments.

Serve Robotics met its 2025 operational target by deploying more than 2,000 autonomous robots across cities, making it the largest sidewalk delivery fleet in the United States. The company’s expansion through the year reflected disciplined execution, faster rollout across markets and continued strengthening of its operational base. Growth in fleet scale, broader city coverage and rising delivery volumes helped reinforce SERV’s position in the autonomous delivery landscape.

With expanding reach, stronger platform integration, advancing autonomy capability and disciplined execution, SERV appears positioned to continue pushing sidewalk autonomy toward broader urban-scale adoption in 2026.

Serve Robotics’ Competitive Landscape

Serve Robotics continues to expand its footprint in autonomous last-mile delivery, entering a space increasingly shaped by larger players such as Uber Technologies (UBER) and DoorDash (DASH). Both companies have been investing heavily in automation and last-mile logistics, testing robotic delivery in select markets and partnering with startups to accelerate deployment.

Uber, through its Uber Eats segment, has piloted sidewalk delivery robots in collaboration with Cartken and Motional, aiming to reduce delivery costs and improve efficiency. DoorDash is also expanding the robotic delivery trials, leveraging its scale and strong merchant network to maintain a competitive edge. Serve Robotics may be more nimble, but Uber’s global delivery reach and DoorDash’s established infrastructure create meaningful competitive pressure.

As SERV scales its autonomous fleet and expands operations, the key question is whether it can compete on speed, reliability and market coverage against these larger platforms. The dominance of Uber and DoorDash could test Serve Robotics’ ability to capture sustained market share in urban delivery, even as it continues to strengthen the autonomy platform and cost efficiency at scale.

SERV Stock’s Price Performance

Shares of this leading autonomous sidewalk delivery company have declined 45.4% in the past year compared with the Zacks Computers - IT Services industry’s 18.3% fall. In the same time frame, shares of Uber and DoorDash have gained 26.5% and 29.5%, respectively.

Earnings Estimate Trend of SERV Stock

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for SERV’s 2026 loss per share has widened to $1.83 in the past 30 days, as shown below. Also, the estimated figure indicates a wider loss from the year-ago estimated loss of $1.59 per share.

SERV currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).

You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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