Final Mile Logistics

Recent surges in the popularity of online commerce and consumer demand for ever faster deliveries have caused cities like London to suffer from extreme congestion, as couriers rush to fulfil jobs as they come, rarely stopping to combine multiple jobs into one trip. The recent introduction of the Toxicity Charge, and the upcoming introduction of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) highlights the City of London’s willingness to crack down this needless increase in congestion and emissions. It’s now clear that a major overhaul in how the same day courier industry operates is required.

We have worked with CitySprint, the largest same-day delivery provider in the UK, to develop a green delivery policy improving their sustainability. Seeking regular feedback from our client, and advice from experts at UCL and the FTC2050 group, temporal trends in consumer behaviour and geographical hotspots for CitySprint deliveries were identified and broken down across the different sectors served by the company. Key pairs of pickup and delivery areas were also identified, raising the possibility of consolidating deliveries by grouping more parcels into one vehicle, thus fulfilling more jobs with less travel.

As such, this report puts forward a package of evidence-based recommendations actionable by CitySprint, improving their delivery capability, customer satisfaction and brand perception, whilst reducing running costs and environmental impact. This includes the introduction of a ‘Green Delivery’ option for delivering parcels anytime before the end of the day, pre-emptive placement of couriers in strategic locations, consolidation of non-critical healthcare deliveries, and further expansion of CitySprint’s fleet of electrically-assisted cargo bikes.