Early next year, Portland residents may begin seeing and hearing fleets of drones carrying Amazon packages bound for delivery in as fast as half an hour. The tech giant says it plans to expand its Prime Air delivery service to nearly 500 cities and towns by the end of the year. A company press release from August shows the service is being offered in 10 metro areas in the U.S., including Phoenix, San Antonio, Detroit and Tampa.
According to the Portland Business Journal, Amazon plans to build a Prime Air drone delivery center at its fulfillment center in North Portland and is expected to meet with city officials this month to discuss its proposal. Although the drones haven’t started flying yet, members of the Piedmont Neighborhood Association in North and Northeast Portland have begun expressing their concerns around safety, noise and impacts on local retailers.
Portland Business Journal reporter Sara Edwards joins us to share more details.
“Think Out Loud®” broadcasts live at noon every day and rebroadcasts at 8 p.m.
If you’d like to comment on any of the topics in this show or suggest a topic of your own, please get in touch with us on Facebook, send an email to thinkoutloud@opb.org, or you can leave a voicemail for us at 503-293-1983.
