Favor Heads North

Popular delivery app returns the Favor in expansion to The Woodlands

The Favor app has arrived in The Woodlands.

Photo courtesy of Favor

Life in The Woodlands is about to get a little easier. Favor, the popular delivery app that allows users to have just about anything delivered, begins operations in The Woodlands on Tuesday.

The app works as follows: users select items from a specific business. A Favor "runner" purchases the items and delivers them for a $5 fee plus an optional tip. According to Favor, the average delivery time is about 35 minutes, which helps it attract devoted fans. Over 40-percent of orders are made by people who use the app at least five times per month.

"Since launching in other Texas hubs across Austin, Dallas, and Houston we’ve seen the effect of our local network,” said Favor CEO and president Jag Bath in a statement. “Word of mouth continues to be a huge driving force for Favor, and we’re excited to be taking our service to the next level by bringing Favor to more hungry residents in Texas.

The delivery area covers the eastern half of The Woodlands including neighborhoods like Grogan's Mill, Panther Creek, and Alden Bridge and hours of operation are 11 am until 10 pm every day. Sorry, Creekside residents; you'll have to wait a little longer to find out what the fuss is all about.

While it's not uncommon to see Favor runners at places like Target and Walgreens inside the Loop, many people use the app to order food from restaurants. In Houston, the top five most popular businesses are Torchy's Tacos, Chipotle, Whataburger, Chick-fil-A, and Ruggles Green. In The Woodlands, the company has partnered with popular restaurants like Uni Sushi, Crave Cupcakes, Becks Prime, and Crisp to expedite orders.

To celebrate the launch, Woodlands residents can order food from Chick-fil-A for a delivery fee of $1 until Saturday (on top of the cost of food, tax, and tip). Everyone knows a spicy chicken sandwich tastes better when it doesn't involve waiting in a drive-thru.

news-you-can-eat apps

Hail yeah

Amazon’s Zoox robotaxi service gears up to hit Houston roads

Photo courtesy of Zoox

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Amazon-owned robotaxi ride-hailing service Zoox is zooming into Houston later this month, becoming the latest robotaxi operator jockeying for local riders.

Initially, self-driving retrofitted SUVs with safety drivers on board will serve downtown Houston, centrally located tourist hotspots, and certain residential neighborhoods. The SUVs will test Houston roads before Zoox rolls out autonomous robotaxis here, the company says.

Zoox takes Houston for a test drive

At the outset, Zoox says, a limited number of vehicles will be driven by people to gather data about Houston roads.

“This helps create a detailed picture of each street, from road geometry to traffic lights,” the company says. “Once we have mapped out an area, we will test autonomous driving capabilities. Safety and operational readiness govern the pace of our rollout.”

Zoox says its robotaxi differs from vehicles operated by other ride-hailing services.

The robotaxi “is purpose-built for autonomous ride-hailing and designed for riders from day one,” the company says. “It has no traditional driving controls and instead has carriage-style seating, sliding glass doors, and features that let the rider personalize their journey.”

Along with Houston, Zoox is launching this month in San Diego. The ride-hailing service already operates in Austin, Dallas, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix, the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.

Zoox breaks into “sprawling” Houston market

Zoox describes Houston as its “most sprawling market to date.”

“Driving here means navigating complex service-road networks, unique merging scenarios, and challenging environmental conditions, including severe heat, heavy rain, and urban flooding,” the company says. “It’s a rigorous test of our technology across geography and terrain.”

Zoox will join two other autonomous ride-hailing services in Houston:

Waymo began rolling in Houston in February. Alphabet, the parent company of Google, owns Waymo.
Electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla began offering robotaxi services earlier this year.

A third Zoox competitor is arriving within the next year. A partnership comprising rideshare provider Uber, EV manufacturer Lucid, and autonomous technology company Nuro plans to launch a robotaxi service in Houston by mid-2027.