Campus ID News
Card, mobile credential, payment and security
FEATURED
PARTNERS

Four years on, George Mason delivery robots more popular than ever

Andrew Hudson   ||   Feb 17, 2023  ||   ,

Starship delivery robots have been roaming the George Mason campus since 2019, when the university became the first in the country to host the then fledgling delivery solution. In the time since, George Mason and its students haven't looked back, growing the program year on year and processing more orders than ever before.

A recent university release commemorated four years with Starship, reflecting on what started as a fleet of 25 robots -- the world’s largest fleet of delivery robots at the time. That fleet has now grown to 60 robots, all delivering on George Mason's Fairfax, Va. campus.

“Starship robots allowed Mason to bring an innovative, safe, and convenient dining solution to students—which was well-received by the campus community and proved to be extremely helpful during the pandemic,” says Pascal Petter, executive director, auxiliary services, at George Mason. “We celebrate the milestones achieved thus far and look forward to our collaborative work in the future.”

Just as impressive as the growth of the fleet are some of the ordering stats that Starship has amassed as George Mason since launching in 2019:

  • 335,489 orders completed.
  • 17,334 people have placed orders.
  • 39,828 coffees delivered.

Additionally, the university reports that its campus residence, Whitetop Hall, is the most popular delivery location on campus. And while breakfast has a popular meal for robot delivery, lunch still reigns supreme as the most popular delivery meal each day.

“It’s hard to believe that we’ve already been doing deliveries at Mason for four years,” says Chris Neider, director of business development at Starship Technologies. “We’ve taken what we learned at Mason and have incorporated those lessons across the U.S. We’re looking forward to the next four years and beyond at Mason!”

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter

RECENT ARTICLES

Student with phone and ID card
Jul 17, 26 / ,

Unifying mobile and physical credentials for the future-ready campus

As university campuses evolve to meet the high expectations of a tech-savvy student body, SECANDA is leading the charge in redefining campus identity and access management. We are proud to announce a new initiative piloting a hybrid approach to credentialing, proving that the future of campus security lies in the powerful combination of traditional RFID […]
Amit Sharma IDEMIA video promo image
Jul 16, 26 / ,

Biometrics add identity proofing to physical and digital transactions

As artificial intelligence fuels new forms of fraud and impersonation, universities face growing challenges around identity verification. IDEMIA’s Amit Sharma points out that nearly every interaction on a campus – from building access and classroom participation to payroll and student services – depends on establishing trust in a person's identity. He says biometrics hold the […]
Starship robots exit higher ed
Jul 08, 26 /

Starship robots exit higher ed

Starship Technologies announced it would shift focus to retail grocery chains and cease its campus operations. The news came as a blow to its higher education clients and the students that had come to enjoy autonomous delivery. The robots were deployed on 60 U.S. colleges and universities, and administrators at those institutions were left with […]
CIDN logo reversed
The only publication dedicated to the use of campus cards, mobile credentials, identity and security technology in the education market. CampusIDNews – formerly CR80News – has served more than 6,500 subscribers for more than two decades.
Twitter

Great inverview on the Public Key Open Credential (PKOC) standard with ELATEC's Jason Ouellette, Chairman of the Board for the @PSIAlliance.

Attn: friends in the biometrics space. Nominations close Friday for the annual Women in Biometrics Awards. Take five minutes to recognize a colleague or even yourself. http://WomenInBiometrics.com

Load More...
Contact
CampusIDNews is published by AVISIAN Publishing
315 E. Georgia St.
Tallahassee, FL 32301
www.AVISIAN.com[email protected]
Use our contact form to submit tips, corrections, or questions to our team.
©2026 CampusIDNews. All rights reserved.