Lockers in Transit
Investigating a public transport-based innovation for last-mile delivery
A. Pogna (TU Delft - Civil Engineering & Geosciences)
Patrick Stokkink – Graduation committee member (TU Delft - Transport and Logistics)
A.M.G. Zuiderwijk-van Eijk – Mentor (TU Delft - Information and Communication Technology)
Kenan Zhang – Graduation committee member
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Abstract
In the last few years, e-commerce has experienced exponential growth, increasing the pressure, especially on last-mile delivery. This thesis, building on the freight-on-transit (FOT) concept, investigates whether mobile parcel lockers, when integrated into public transport vehicles, can alleviate the pressure and negative consequences of last-mile delivery.
In this research, a mixed-methods design was adopted, incorporating both qualitative and quan- titative analysis. Eleven semi-structured interviews with public transport operators, logistics firms, municipalities, and academics have been conducted to understand whether this idea was feasible from operational, economic, and governance points of view. Additionally, to capture the end-user’s acceptance, trust, and design preferences, a questionnaire (n = 122) was deliv- ered. Moreover, built on the initial idea of combining freight and public transport for last-mile delivery, six scenarios were created that explore possible alternatives. Regarding the scenarios developed, they have been described as possible ideas which, if combined, can have the most significant effect on emission and cost reduction.
The findings reveal that the original idea of ”locker-on-board” is technically feasible but econom- ically unproven and operationally fragile when applied in dense urban areas; this is because lockers remove seats that generate revenue or wheelchair bays, complicate the duties of drivers, and clash with regulations. However, this idea has been sustained for rural areas, specifically using busses, since this would save many km for delivery vans which, if they have to reach a remote area for just a few deliveries, emit many emissions. In addition, the structure of the busses to rural areas that have a luggage space which is often empty supports, even more, the transportation of packages without disrupting the comfort of passengers.