Amazon Prime Air delivery is coming to Tracy.
In late August, Amazon announced it will begin drone deliveries in Tracy. Drone deliveries will be sent from Amazon's existing Amazon Robotics facility at 500 E. Grant Line Road in Tracy.
"Prime Air is Amazon’s drone delivery service. It delivers packages to customers in as fast as 30 minutes, with most orders arriving in around 60 minutes," an Amazon Prime Air spokesperson said via email. "Customers can shop from a selection of millions of everyday items — from household essentials and beauty products to electronics — all available for ultrafast drone delivery through the Amazon app."
Amazon said this is not the first time that Prime Air operations have come to San Joaquin County. The program originally
launched in the U.S. in Lockeford, about 40 miles from Tracy.
"Bringing Prime Air to Tracy represents an exciting new chapter: by operating out of an existing Amazon Robotics fulfillment center, we’re able to reach more customers and offer more products for drone delivery than we could from a standalone location," the company stated.
How does Amazon Prime Air work?
The company said their latest drone is "designed to deliver safely and sustainably in neighborhoods." It also highlighted it is FAA-authorized operations with industry-leading Detect-and-Avoid technology.
The drones are fully electric with zero exhaust emissions, and can deliver packages up to 5 pounds and it's range is of up to 7.5 miles from the Tracy facility, according to Amazon officials.
"Nearly all items five pounds or less that fit in a large shoebox are eligible — that covers more than 60% of the items customers most frequently purchase from Amazon," a spokesperson said. "Popular items include AirPods, Ring doorbells, iPhones, and everyday essentials like pantry groceries and household items."
In the Amazon app and website, items eligible for drone delivery will be labeled.
"Customers within the delivery area will see drone delivery offered at checkout," the spokesperson said.
Prime Air is also offered in some areas of Phoenix, Detroit, San Antonio, Dallas, Tampa, Waco, Kansas City, Baton Rouge, Omaha, and Houston metro areas, with expansion to more metro areas planned before the end of this year, according to the company.
"Tracy is a great place to live and work, and we’re proud to be expanding Prime Air operations across the country. Customer demand for speed keeps growing — last year we saw a 70% year-over-year increase in items delivered in less than a day," the company said. "By operating out of our existing Amazon Robotics facility in Tracy, we can combine the speed of drone delivery with the massive selection customers expect from Amazon, reaching more customers and offering millions more items than we could from a standalone location."
The company said there is "no separate sign-up required" to use Prime Air.
"Prime members get free drone delivery on orders over $50 and pay $2.99 for orders under $50; customers without a Prime membership pay $4.99," the company said.
"When Prime Air comes to a community, it brings more than fast delivery — it brings safe technology and a long-term investment in the people and places we serve. Safety is the foundation of everything we do: our drones use an industry-leading Detect-and-Avoid system to respond to their surroundings in real time, and they’re fully electric with zero exhaust emissions. We’re genuinely excited to bring Prime Air back to California and to serve the Tracy community."
The Record asked Amazon when Prime Air will begin in the Tracy area. A specific date or timeline was not provided.
Record reporter Angelaydet Rocha covers business and community news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at arocha@recordnet.com or on Twitter @AngelaydetRocha. To support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.
This article originally appeared on The Record: Amazon ‘Prime Air’ drones are coming to Tracy residents
