Jan 30 (Reuters) - Autonomous technology startup Avride

said on Thursday it has partnered with food delivery company

Grubhub to deploy its robots on college campuses across the

United States.

Companies and colleges began testing sidewalk delivery

robots after the pandemic started, aiming to address labor

shortages, cut costs, and reduce dependence on cars for

deliveries.

Avride's first fleet of 100 robots is active at Ohio State

University, where it also plans to introduce its next-generation

models, the startup said.

The university also uses robots from other startups such as

Cartken and now exclusively relies on robot deliveries.

"Campuses are almost ideal environments for introducing

automation in delivery. They are relatively small areas, with a

high density of orders, that is where robots shine the most

right now," Avride CEO Dmitry Polishchuk told Reuters.

Polishchuk added that the company has seen strong interest

and demand for robots on U.S. campuses.

Companies such as Avride and Serve Robotics ( SERV ) have

been cementing partnerships with ride-hailing and delivery

startups to commercialize robotic food delivery.

In October, Avride said it would partner with Uber ( UBER )

and its delivery unit for food deliveries and robotaxi services.

Austin, Texas-based Avride, which has already made 200,000

deliveries across five countries, was founded in 2017. The

startup was previously part of the self-driving division of

Russian company Yandex, from which it separated last year

following corporate restructuring.