This project examines various options for tackling the final step in the logistics chain. Last-mile deliveries are critical, but how can parcels efficiently and securely travel from the delivery vehicle, package locker or local drop-off location to the recipient's front door?These very last metres are the final frontier for urban deliveries. The rise of e-commerce has increased the number of deliveries in already crowded cities. Accommodating this growing demand in ways that are both sustainable and socially acceptable is a critical challenge for cities. Proposed solutions include porters, bicycle deliveries and automated delivery pods.Join our interactive "Ask the Author" webinar and have your questions answered by our experts on 17 October 2024. Policy InsightsPrioritise feasible last-metre solutions that fit the context.Establish effective policy frameworks to manage urban freight operations and safeguard public interests while allowing innovation.Anticipate the associated risks of potential logistics interventions.Recognise the added legal complexities and responsibilities of pursuing urban automated deliveries.
- Pages
- 45
- Published in
- France
Table of Contents
- Acknowledgements 5
- Table of contents 6
- Executive summary 8
- Key messages 8
- Main findings 8
- Top recommendations 9
- Last-mile logistics and the importance of the last metres 10
- The different scales of urban freight operations 10
- What is last-mile logistics? 10
- The challenges of last-mile delivery 11
- How much time is spent idling or parked on the curb? 11
- Travel Time 12
- Curb Time or Dwell Time 13
- What are the costs of missed deliveries? 14
- The evolution of delivery services 15
- The growing need for micro depots or urban logistics hubs 17
- How can new innovations impact the last metres of the logistic chain? 19
- Human-centred operational innovations can improve the efficiency of the last metres 19
- Small(er) vehicles reduce curb time and delivery times, and minimise environmental costs 20
- Parcel lockers and pick-up locations transfer the last-metre responsibility to recipients 21
- Breakthrough technological proposals for last-metre delivery emphasise automation 21
- Drones and delivery robots might not replace humans in last-metre operations 23
- What is the demand for innovative automated deliveries in cities? 25
- Modelling the penetration of autonomous delivery alternatives in cities 25
- The ITF agent-based modelling simulation 25
- Integrating automated delivery alternatives into the model 26
- Designing a complex urban scenario to simulate usage 27
- Aerial drones are likely to have a marginal effect on logistics operations 29
- Sidewalk delivery robots show the most potential among the automated alternatives 30
- What are the challenges of integrating last-metre delivery innovations into cities? 33
- The feasibility of drones and delivery robot services remains a challenge 33
- Drone deliveries may not deliver on environmental promises 34
- Emerging last-mile services will further exacerbate street-space management tensions 37
- Effective policies and regulations are needed to limit negative impacts and ensure safety 38
- References 39
- The final frontier of urban logistics 1
