Beginning this fall, the University of Florida will enable its students to receive mobile orders from a student-staffed food delivery service. The service is called Byppo, a Gainesville-based startup that provides food delivery with students staffed as delivery drivers.
According to a report from The Gainesville Sun, Byppo gives student delivery drivers a chance to make extra cash without leaving campus, while giving those who place delivery orders the ability to have food brought directly to them.
Byppo has partnered with UF’s Gator Dining to provide the food delivery service, which will offer delivery from up to ten dining locations on UF’s Gainesville campus.
UF had been considering a campus food delivery service even prior to the pandemic, at a time when food delivery apps were gaining momentum, but food delivery services only grew in popularity over the past year. When Gator Dining was presented with Byppo through UF’s Innovation Hub — the university’s startup business incubator — deployment became more realistic.
“I think the biggest win for this whole thing is it’s really for UF by UF,” says Timothy Bucolo, director of Gator Dining. “As we continue to grow the program throughout the fall semester you’re going to see more and more locations added to the platform.”
The food delivery service is currently limited to campus eateries, with all delivery drop-off spots located in populated, well-lit areas of campus, like dorms and libraries.
Byppo will limit food delivery methods to energy-efficient scooters, public transportation, bikes and walking. Student delivery drivers will be responsible for their own transportation.
Gator Dining and Byppo have plans to expand services throughout the academic year, with UF’s dining hall fare a potential future addition to the delivery service.
