_What’s That I Hear?

The Victorian Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) recently published a guide to land use planning for commercial Drone Delivery Services (DDS) in anticipation of these services becoming more widespread as the technology becomes cheaper.

The DTP guidance is restricted to small and medium sized drones (less than 25 kilograms drone weight) that are capable of conducting regular deliveries of smaller goods, from essential supplies to groceries or restaurant meals.  DDS is considered a more environmentally friendly, quicker and more affordable alternative to traditional modes of delivering goods, such as vans, cars or scooters. 

Currently, DDS operate in the ACT and QLD but are expected to expand to other parts of the country in due course. 

Just today for example, DoorDash launched its own DDS (5 kilogram drone weight with a 1 kilogram load limit) in partnership with Wing (drone operator) and Eastland Shopping Centre in Ringwood.  DDS orders placed through the DoorDash app are tethered to a drone and launched from a converted space on the rooftop carpark of the shopping centre and delivered to people within a 7 kilometres radius. 

Proposed DDS are approved by the federal government departments and subject to regulations regarding aviation safety, aircraft noise, privacy and other related matters, with DTP acknowledging that these regulations, at State and Federal levels, will continue to evolve alongside the sector expansion. 

We will be intrigued to see how the DDS sector will evolve once it has been implemented more broadly across the country and the potential benefits it could deliver.