Search results for «crowd»
ITF: the final frontier of urban logistics – tackling the last meters
The ITF project ‘The Final Frontier of Urban Logistics‘ examines various options for tackling the final step in the logistics chain for parcels. 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 meters are …
Delivery drivers get more rights under new EU law
Crowd-shipping delivery drivers via online platforms are becoming increasingly common in last-mile delivery sector. Unlike zero-hour contract workers, these drivers are classified as independent contractors or freelancers, allowing providers to bypass employment legislation regarding zero-hour contracts. Platform work Last-mile providers engaging in these practices use their branded apps to onboard drivers as independent contractors, who …
Urban studies must consider urban freight
In a new paper, the authors argue that urban studies must consider urban freight as a crucial component of ongoing urban transformations. The movement of goods is increasingly shaping cities, with uncertain implications for sustainability, livability, and justice. Despite its importance, freight logistics has been largely overlooked in urban studies. This paper aims to address …
Light Electric Freight Vehicles: beyond the hype
The advancements in city logistics are fostering a rise in smaller, time-sensitive deliveries. Over the past decade, the parcel market has expanded, driven by emerging business models like ship-from-store (B2C and B2B) and quick commerce. Additionally, companies are increasingly emphasizing sustainability. To tackle the challenges of quicker delivery demands, clean transportation (low/zero-emission), and limited space …
Multi-criteria assessment framework for the potential of cargo bike operations
Making deliveries in crowded urban areas can be challenging for commercial vehicles, producing additional negative externalities. In recent years, cargo cycles, including bicycles and tricycles, either man-powered or electric-powered, have been considered a promising alternative for making last-leg delivery. Although cargo cycles have various benefits, the operations are still limited by the nature of the …
Overview of practices in the integration of passenger mobility and freight deliveries in urban areas
Urban transport has been one of the most crucial and challenging issues. Moreover, it is a catch-all term that discusses the ease and speed with which passengers and goods move around urban spaces. With cities getting more populated and crowded, new challenges for transportation that impact how to design and build urban locations appear. A …
Is there a future in community shipping?
What if the neighbors came to deliver your parcels from now on? It was a hilarious idea from the Dutch TV program Koefnoen in 2016. Okko and Eus walk with their wagon through the neighborhood, delivering parcels. With all the car-free plans, there may be a future in community shipping as a sustainable option for …
Three recent Delphi studies on the future of last-mile deliveries
In 2022 three Delphi studies (based on scenarios) were published about the future of last-mile innovations in urban areas: Peppel, M., Ringbeck, J., & Spinler, S. (2022). How will last-mile delivery be shaped in 2040? A Delphi-based scenario study. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 177, 121493. The researchers developed projections of future consumer behavior, delivery technologies, delivery services, …
WCTR 2023: future research themes in city logistics
During WCTR23, a panel led by Michael Browne discussed future research themes in city logistics with the audience. City logistics research has grown dramatically in recent years (from a small base). There are many more conferences and journal papers, and more researchers are now involved in this field. This panel session will identify the actions …
Experts’ opinions about lasting innovative technologies in City Logistics
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the relevance of goods delivery in urban areas. However, this activity often generates a negative environmental impact. Several technologies have been proposed in recent years to reduce it, thus forming a complex innovation landscape characterized by different levels of maturity and effects on the City Logistics (CL) system. This complexity …
Where city logistics meets walkability
Like in many cities, the inner center of Amsterdam is transforming into a more attractive place for pedestrians and cyclists by creating more space for these slow modalities. Entrepreneurs see their profits growing since an attractive city center attracts more customers and business. However, shops and HoReCa need to be supplied as well. With more …
Uber about the Future of Delivery
Uber has commissioned WSP to complete a whitepaper – Future of Delivery – which examines how to unleash the opportunities for city centres to become greener and more liveable by increasing micromobility for the last mile of logistics. Demand for deliveries is surging. Relying upon cars, vans and trucks for the last mile risks clogging …
Gartner’s market guide to vehicle routing and scheduling systems
The market for vehicle routing and scheduling and last-mile applications continues to grow as organizations are seeking ways to optimize fleet operations. Gartner presents a market guide. Last-mile delivery solutions are an evolution of VRS, grown due to the huge increase in e-commerce and last-mile operations. Whereas traditional routing solutions focused primarily on fleets and movements …
Directions for future research on urban mobility and city logistics
A survey article by Mor Kaspi, Tal Raviv, and Marlin W. Ulmer provides an overview of future directions for research in urban mobility and city logistics. It sets a focus on three severe changes in the business models: Service fleets might fully or partially be autonomous in the future, which brings new operational opportunities and …
An exploratory study on integrated logistics and mobility hubs
Passenger and logistics transport challenges are approached as two different ecosystems despite the scarce space in cities. Therefore, policymakers called upon to tackle negative transport externalities face spatial challenges. However, despite a history in which both ecosystems have already been combined and the emphasis in the (limited) existing studies on how promising the combination can …
Research: ‘sorry we do not deliver to your area’
The British grocery retail sector is experiencing rapid growth in online ordering for home delivery, resulting in considerable supply-side investment in delivery and fulfilment infrastructure. For retailers with a physical store network, assets typically utilise larger format stores as delivery and fulfilment hubs. Proximity to the store network and delivery infrastructure capacity thus drives the …
DHL about ECO-mmerce: how online retail can build the sustainable supply chain of tomorrow
E-commerce is fundamentally changing approaches to supply chain sustainability in the US, according to research published by DHL. A new white paper “ECO-mmerce: How online retail can build the sustainable supply chain of tomorrow” argues that the rapid growth of e-commerce is bringing immediate opportunities to reduce emissions within the supply chain while also challenging …
Research: framework for analyzing safety of commercial bike-riders
Jobs using bicycles have diversified beyond bicycle messengering and seen a recent surge, especially with respect to the delivery of meals, parcels, and more. Urban freight companies are also increasingly using cargo bicycles for last-mile logistics. As cyclist workers are now part of a growing and diversifying set of industries, improving their safety is increasingly …
Research on shared satellite-based last-mile delivery problems
The paradigms of the on-demand economy and e-commerce let emerge, new business models, challenging the success of non-digital native companies. Delivery options are no longer driven by the supplier, but more and more influenced by the customers’ preferences, with a consequent disruptive impact on the delivery process, and city logistics in particular.