Transforming Last-mile Logistics

Abstract

Road congestion, air pollution and sustainability are increasingly important in major cities. We look to understand how last-mile deliveries in the parcel sector are impacting our roads. Using formative field work and quantitative analysis of consignment manifests and location data, we identify how the effectiveness of lifestyle couriers is contributing to both environmental and non-environmental externalities. This paper presents an analysis of delivery performances and practices in last-mile logistics in central London, quantifying the impacts differing levels of experience have on overall round efficiency. We identify eleven key opportunities for technological support for last-mile parcel deliveries that could contribute to both driver effectiveness and sustainability. We finish by examining how HCI can lead to improved environmental and social justice by reconsidering and realizing future collaborative visions in last-mile logistics.

The future of techno-disruption in gig economy workforces: challenging the dialogue with fictional abstracts

“…[14] The theme of the abstracts presented here is "The future of techno-disruption in gig economy workforces. " This theme builds on previous work highlighting how HCI and design can (and should) work for workers, not just consumers, to help fight issues of unjust labour practice and shift the power of the gig economy to the hands of workers [2,8]. The abstracts are positioned in the near-future (2025-2035) (cf.…”

“…HCI and related studies of digital technology have focused on: protecting gig workers [18]; algorithmic bias and data in the futures of work [13,22]; developing tools to support workers in gig and crowd work [2,8]; configurations of piecemeal work [1]; and, studies of on-demand, gig economy work [7,20]. Whilst gig work is facilitated by technology, the authors also recognise the potential of digital technology to disrupt the labour of work in the UK where the gig economy facilitates casual work for 2.8 million workers [9].…”

Evaluating Sustainable Interaction Design of Digital Services

“…A DSP would be able to determine how much each different device type is used from their user analytics data. 4 To estimate this in our study, we use data from two sources. We use publicly available data from YouTube regarding the breakdown between fixed and mobile devices.…”

“…Sustainability through Design uses HCI approaches to address broader sustainability challenges. Examples include eco-feedback techniques [16] and social networks [13,32] to reduce an individual's resource use; using mobile support for transport [15]; the use of crowdsourcing to support pro-environmental community activism [34]; using thermal imaging to encourage improved building efficiency [36]; energy-efficient retrofitting [35]; and support for last-mile logistics [4].…”

An Examination of Last Mile Delivery Practices of Freight Carriers Servicing Business Receivers in Inner-City Areas

“…For example, Allen et al reported that vehicle delays have increased by 31% in central London [20]. Further, Bates et al forecasted that congestion would increase in central London by 60% in 2030 [41]. These issues collectively make it difficult for freight carriers to comply with the time-sensitive delivery requirements of business receivers.…”