Shopping facility assistance systems, devices, and methods to dispatch and recover motorized transport units that effect remote deliveries

An apparatus comprising:

• a mother vehicle;
• a plurality of motorized terrestrial transport units carried by the mother vehicle;
• a plurality of items carried by the mother vehicle to be delivered to various corresponding different recipients;
• a communications link to a central computer system wherein the central computer system is configured to:
• dispatch a first of the motorized terrestrial transport units carrying at least a first of the items to leave the mother vehicle and transport the first of the items to effect delivery to a first of the recipients;
• prior to the first of the motorized terrestrial transport units returning to the mother vehicle, and after moving the mother vehicle to a second delivery location, dispatch a second of the motorized terrestrial transport units carrying at least a second of the items to leave the mother vehicle and transport the second of the items to effect delivery to a second of the recipients;
• recover at least the first of the motorized terrestrial transport units at a first recovery location into the mother vehicle.