Irish drone delivery company Manna thought they were doing good.
They had worked hard to be where they are right now; from the shaky ground they stood in in their fledgling days in 2019. They make thousands of flights across the city of Dublin, delivering food, essentials, cellular phones and more – all without the frustrations of road traffic, carbon footprints and waiting.
Manna has flown more than 36,000 deliveries in the Dublin 15 area – a large suburban area located to the west of Dublin city in Ireland – over the last 18 months, with customers receiving items such as takeaways, coffees, books and clothing.
That has to be a really good public service, right?
Wrong!
That is at least according to some political representatives in the area, who want the delivery operations shut down in Dublin 15 because of some alleged complaints they say they received.
Earlier this month, People Before Profit TD Ruth Coppinger told the Oireachtas Transport Committee that gardens were being "invaded by drones" in her constituency of Dublin West, claiming that residents had been dramatically impacted by the deliveries.
Labour Councillor for Castleknock John Walsh has launched also an online petition calling on the Government to regulate commercial drone delivery services, which he said are impacting communities in Dublin 15, amid noise and privacy concerns.
The petition, which has so far gathered almost 900 signatures, has Manna on the backfoot.
The company has now been obliged to respond to this allegation, and has done so by presenting a letter of support for its services, signed by more than 400 residents in Dublin 15, to local representatives.
The company said it has received 1,883 positive customer reviews from residents that have used the drone delivery service.
"We've engaged with representatives and residents that have genuine concerns on the futuristic nature of the technology of which 112 in the area are from Dublin 15 Eircodes," Manna CEO Bobby Healy said.
"However there is a huge majority of people in the area that use and value the service that should be listened to," Mr Healy said.
Manna said its all-electric drones are over 99 percent more carbon-efficient than cars and vans, adding that their use cuts CO2 emissions and reduces traffic on the roads.