Last-mile delivering: Analysis of environment-friendly transport

Abstract Urban logistics is becoming increasingly complex and costly. There are several reasons for this, such as the growth of e-commerce, enhanced customer expectations, the desire to increase delivery performance at lower costs, and improvement in city/urban sustainability and liveability. In this context, the paper focuses on last-mile logistics and presents a methodology for supporting the choice of the most sustainable mode to complete deliveries within urban areas. The emphasis is on small-sized freight (parcels), which can also be delivered on foot or by bicycle. The proposed methodology points out both internal and external direct costs. The results of its implementation to a real test case are presented and the potential benefits deriving from the use of such sustainable modes are discussed.