West Hollywood delivery robots are no longer just a pilot project. After nearly five years of testing, the City Council voted 4–1 on Monday night to move West Hollywood delivery robots into a permanent program, over strong objections from disability advocates and some longtime residents.
The move writes a new chapter on personal delivery devices (PDD) into the Municipal Code and locks in operating agreements with Serve and Coco starting January 1, 2026. Council also sided with the companies on two key points. The number of robots will go back up to the max number of devices per operator instead of the 30 Staff proposed, and the advertising fee on wrapped robots will be set at 4 dollars per device per day, not the 6 dollars Staff recommended.
The Disabilities Advisory Board has been pushing back on the robot program for a while. The Board voted against making the program permanent and told Staff that many sidewalks in West Hollywood are too narrow or too chewed up for a wheelchair and a robot to comfortably pass each other. Board members reported seeing devices blocking narrow residential streets and sidewalks, and raised concerns that many disabled residents, including people who are blind or who have limited use of their arms, cannot easily use app based delivery in the first place. This isn’t a hypothetical worry for many disabled residents. Back in September, WEHOonline covered a Serve robot colliding with West Hollywood therapist and disability advocate Mark Chaney while he was on his mobility scooter near the Sheriff’s Station, a video that went viral and drew national attention to the same access issues raised Monday night.
Disability advocate, Yola Dore, used math to make her point. She joined by Zoom and reminded Council that sidewalks need about 66 inches of clear space to let a person using a mobility device and another person or object move side by side. In her view, that standard is not being met on many neighborhood streets, especially on the Eastside. “To say that only two sidewalks do not qualify is absurd,” she told the Council, pointing to blocks like North Vista and calling for more research before the City locks in a permanent program. Eastside resident Stephanie Harker put it more bluntly in an email about the daily robot traffic on her block. “The robots are a hazard and a nuisance,” she wrote, adding that when someone is in a wheelchair, using a walker or pushing a stroller, the devices are not cute and do not spread joy.
Staff say the permanent program is meant to respond directly to those concerns. The draft agreement raises ADA compliance thresholds, requires regular accessibility audits, tightens number and deployment caps, and builds in stronger penalties for blocking the right of way. Every dollar from operating fees, advertising and penalties would be earmarked for sidewalk and curb ramp repairs and other accessibility upgrades.
The companion operating agreements tighten some of the pilot rules. Hours would stay at 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Operators would have to tie into the City’s service request system so residents can report stalled devices or blocked sidewalks in real time. All program revenue, including a new fee on advertising wraps, would go into a restricted fund for ADA and sidewalk improvements. Staff estimate the program could generate about 40,000 to 80,000 dollars a year for curb and sidewalk work if both operators run full fleets with regular ad campaigns.
West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce’s Governmental Affairs Committee (GAC) produced mixed feedback. Supportive businesses said PDDs help them meet customer expectations for fast, contactless delivery, reduce curb and parking conflicts, cut labor costs, and provide some branding and tourist interest. Those more skeptical said there is little clear cost advantage compared with traditional delivery, that employees still have to leave their posts to load the robots, and that most of the savings appear to go to large delivery platforms rather than local merchants.
Speaking for the businesses, West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce President and CEO, Genevieve Morrill, said many members describe the PDD companies as responsive and easy to work with, and that the company has learned how to navigate West Hollywood’s density over time which is valuable and important. She said, merchants want consistency and a clear path to keep using a service they now rely on. The Chamber urged the Council to approve the operating agreement and allow the robots to keep servicing local businesses and customers.
On the Council, most of the night’s deliberations came down to how, not whether, the program should continue. Vice Mayor John Heilman kept coming back to four issues: whether the flags and visibility standards are strong enough, whether sidewalks remain usable for everyone, how many robots should be allowed and how to split the advertising revenue. He said he shares concerns about accessibility but is comfortable moving forward with the new safeguards, and backed a 5 dollar advertising fee as a middle ground that keeps the program financially workable.
Mayor Byers, aimed her focus on the actual trips. With an average delivery distance of about 0.6 miles, she argued it makes little sense to add another car to city streets for that kind of run when a robot can do it instead. She pointed to positive feedback from businesses and residents who use the service and said she likes that the robots have become part of the city’s daily life, with people often stopping to take photos when they pass by. She said she would like to see the flags on the robots better secured, since some people like to pull them off and keep them as souvenirs. She also confirmed with Staff that the companies have one hour to respond to complaints or issues, compared with two hours in Los Angeles.
Councilmember Erickson supported making the program permanent and did not want to see the number of robots cut back. He argued that shrinking the number would feel like a punishment and could end up making the program so unattractive that operators leave West Hollywood.
Councilmember Danny Hang was in agreement. He supported more robots and the lower advertising fee to 4 dollars, calling the program a rare policy mix that ties innovation, climate goals, small business support and ADA funding together. He says advertising revenue will help to keep delivery costs from landing on restaurants and customers. He thinks if the City pushes too hard on fees it could undercut the small businesses it says it wants to help.
Councilmember Lauren Meister was the only no vote. She has been skeptical of the robots from the start and said her issues with them haven’t changed. She shared a personal experience with the robots having chewed up her parkway garden after it was stuck. She also talked about ongoing issues around accessibility and supervision and questioned whether the City is really getting it’s money’s worth to justify the staff time spent dealing with stalled or misplaced devices. She also questioned the idea that robots are reducing car trips in a meaningful way, pointing out that Uber Eats and DoorDash still operate in WeHo by car, motorcycle and bike, and that people usually have no idea which delivery mode will show up. For her, any small gain on the vehicle side is not worth the risk of making sidewalks harder to use in a city that prides itself on walkability.
When the motion came forward, the Council majority backed Staff and the operators with a few changes. They returned the number of robots to the higher level, set the advertising fee at 4 dollars per device per day and kept the framework that requires data sharing, sets complaint and response timelines, limits hours and speed, and sends all program revenue into a pot for sidewalk and ADA improvements.
The vote was 4 to 1, with Meister opposed.
When DoorDash asks if I want it delivered this way I always decline. I want the money and tip to go to a human trying to make a living.
Glad to see these get approved permanently. Many NIMBY types in the comments.
These continue to be a nuisance. They have increasingly become more aggressive, they don’t stop until you are within an inch of impact, it’s impossible to walk a dog when they are on the sidewalk as there is not enough room for the human, dog and robot, they get stuck on curbs, etc. Once again, Lauren was the only council member to vote correctly. Weho used to be a great place to live, but the actions by the council members over the past few years continue to make the city undesirable.
It is regrettable that a 1.9 square mile city puts walkability last as a mobility option. Has society become so lazy that we cant order food and walk a short distance to pick it up or dine at a restaurant? Just because a technology exists doesn’t mean it is best for society. Last but not least these are robots. They don’t have feelings and shouldn’t be given human traits to describe them
This is only and all about money; follow it. Follow the money right to those that sell us out for the cash. Danger, not problem: e-bikes, scooters, delivery robots. Ruin our city: Faring, Silver Creek, TL.. follow the money right back to the city council. They should be ashamed, but they’re too busy counting the money.