Walmart Inc. is working with Ford Motor Co. and Argo AI to start testing an autonomous-vehicle delivery service in three U.S. cities as the big-box retailer's consumers continue to favor deliveries within the same or next day. The companies on Wednesday said the service will start in Miami, Austin, Texas, and Washington, D.C. The last-mile delivery service, or the leg of an item's journey to the ultimate destination, will take Walmart orders to customers using Ford self-driving test vehicles equipped with Argo AI's self-driving system.

In partnership with the Education Fund, a collection of nonprofits working in the U.S. and other countries to improve the quality of education, Ford and Pittsburgh-based autonomous car startup Argo AI say they've teamed up to make contactless deliveries in Ford's Fusion Hybrid self-driving test vehicles. The launch of the pilot, which is taking place in Miami, comes as Ford continues to build out a service for autonomous ride-hailing and goods delivery in Miami-Dade County. Some experts predict the coronavirus outbreak will hasten the adoption of driverless vehicles for delivery. A study published by CarGurus found that 39% of people don't plan to use human-driven ride-sharing services post-pandemic for fear of insufficient sanitation. Despite driverless cars' need for regular disinfection and the public's misgivings about their general safety, they promise to minimize the risk of spreading disease because they inherently limit driver-rider contact.