Investigating the Role of Micromobility in Sustainable Last-Mile Delivery
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65069/jessd21202626Keywords:
Micromobility, Last-mile logistics, Urban delivery, E-commerce, Quick-commerceAbstract
The growth of e-commerce, food delivery, grocery delivery, and quick-commerce services has increased the importance of last-mile logistics in dense urban areas. At the same time, micromobility vehicles such as e-scooters, e-bikes, e-mopeds, and cargo bikes have become increasingly common for short urban trips. This study assesses whether micromobility can be a viable option for last-mile logistics and under which conditions it can be effectively used. For this purpose, data were collected from logistics company reports, delivery platform reports, micromobility operator reports, and city-level shared micromobility evidence. The findings suggest that micromobility is not a universal replacement for conventional delivery systems, but it can be a complementary solution for short-distance, high-density, and small-parcel deliveries. E-scooters are suitable only for very small and light deliveries under safe conditions, while e-bikes provide a more balanced option for food, pharmacy, and small e-commerce deliveries. Cargo bikes appear to be the strongest micromobility vehicle for logistics, especially for grocery, multiple-package, and medium-parcel deliveries in dense urban areas. Overall, micromobility is most viable when suitable parcel types, short delivery distances, high order density, safe infrastructure, and supportive urban policies exist together.
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