UK ministers are expected to approve a law allowing delivery robots to operate on pavements (sidewalks). This formalizes something that has already been happening: robot deliveries have been running on British streets since 2021, but without explicit legal permission, according to BBC News.

There is already a legal framework in place for self-driving cars. The Automated Vehicles Act, passed in May 2024, sets rules for self-driving vehicles on roads. Those vehicles must be as safe as a human driver. Delivery robots are different: they are much smaller, move slowly, and share pavements with people. The current law does not clearly cover them.

Robot deliveries have been happening anyway. Starship Technologies, the company operating most of these robots in the UK, has had machines running on pavements in towns across the country for several years. In January 2025, Starship brought one of its robots directly to Parliament to make its case for clearer rules, according to Retail Tech Innovation Hub.

The Department for Transport is working on rules for self-driving cars based on real tests in different areas. A May 2026 announcement said autonomous taxis and buses are getting close to being allowed. Pavement robots are being handled in a similar way: test them first, then create the rules.

Why does this matter? Without a clear law, local councils do not have the power to decide which robots can operate in their areas or what rules they must follow. Companies operating robots cannot fully expand their businesses without knowing their legal responsibilities.

There are real safety concerns to think about. Pavements are used by people with mobility problems, older people, and parents pushing prams or buggies. If a robot stops suddenly or moves in an unexpected way through a busy pavement, it can create genuine dangers. Any new rules will need to decide who is responsible if something goes wrong, what insurance companies need to cover, how fast and heavy robots can be, and whether councils can stop robots from operating in certain places.

The government has already made a choice about how to handle self-driving cars. Rather than listing exactly how cars must be built, the Automated Vehicles Act says they must be as safe as a careful, competent human driver. This gives regulators room to adjust as the technology changes, but someone still has to decide whether each system is safe enough. Rules for pavement robots would probably work the same way — focusing on how well robots can detect obstacles and navigate around pedestrians, rather than copying rules for cars.

Jobs and money matter too. The government said in June 2025 that autonomous vehicles could create 38,000 jobs. Pavement robots are part of that, and they are the part people see most often — on the street near their homes, making deliveries every day. How the government sets these rules will affect whether people trust the robots and whether companies keep investing in them.

A law being discussed by ministers is not the same as a law being passed. Other technology ideas have been backed by government but never became law. What is different now is that the question is no longer "Should robots be allowed?" but "What rules should govern them?"