Oct 3 (Reuters) - Uber Technologies ( UBER ) said on

Thursday it was partnering with autonomous technology startup

Avride for food deliveries and robotaxi services, as the

ride-hail major rapidly extends its network of self-driving

technology partners.

In recent weeks, Uber ( UBER ) has expanded its tie-up with Waymo,

Alphabet's robotaxi unit, and formed new alliances

with General Motors' ( GM ) Cruise and Chinese firm WeRide.

Uber Eats will also begin using sidewalk robots from Avride

for deliveries in Austin in the coming weeks, expanding to

Dallas and Jersey City, New Jersey, later this year. The food

delivery unit also has a similar partnership with Serve Robotics ( SERV )

in Los Angeles.

Avride and Uber ( UBER ) are looking to launch robotaxi rides in

Dallas next year.

When requesting a service through Uber Eats or the

ride-hailing app, customers may be presented with the choice to

have their order fulfilled by an Avride delivery robot or an

autonomous vehicle.

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

deliveries across five countries, was founded in 2017. It was

formerly the self-driving group of Yandex and separated from the

Russian firm earlier this year after corporate restructuring.

"We plan to expand the total fleet of Avride robots

operating within Uber Eats to hundreds in 2025, followed by the

launch of our robotaxi service," said Dmitry Polishchuk, CEO of

Avride.

(Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika

Syamnath)