One of the biggest hassle with using a bike or public transport or walking is the need to carry stuff. Shopping, a change of clothes, sporting equipment, tools and paperwork are just a few of the things I regularly cart around with me. It’s not too big a deal carting all that stuff around in the back of a car – but it’s a different story on PT, bike or foot.
On long train trips it is easy enough to check luggage with the conductor, which reduces some of the hassle of carting stuff around. Still, you do have to get your luggage to and from the station and then carry it around in the station itself. The carriage of your luggage is only good until the end of the train journey. It is not point to point like a courier (or airplane). Also, you usually have to travel with the luggage – you can’t send it on alone.
What are the options in a city for sending personal `micro-freight’? Typically motorbike/bicycle couriers. Some supermarkets offer home delivery. And pizza/indian/etc home delivered meals are a form of micro-freight.
Is offering micro-freight services a possible way of increasing revenue for public transport services? There’s plenty of buses and trains traveling throughout the city anyway – why not add some freight carrying capacity, or use spare capacity in off-peak times to carry freight.
However, could be some significant start up costs. Computerised tracking and some form of secure `containerised’ shipping system would be needed. A high level of automation would be needed too. Freight drop offs could be hampered by last-mile issues too – how do you get a delivery from the bus stop to the receiver? Some form of automated secure storage at each bus stop?
It seems unlikely that you could get the responsiveness required to deliver pizzas. Unless the system is wider than just public transport, and allows any accredited carrier to shift micro-freight around the city. Maybe this could allow better use of taxi drivers, and reduce the prevalence of empty trips back from the airport.
Man, this is a poorly formed post :p oh well.
I totally agree, lugging stuff around on public transport is a drag.
Slight analogy to this situation in Japan. When they return home, the Japanese often book their luggage in with a courier at the airport to be transported to their house. They then ride the train to their house, unencumbered by heavy suitcases. It’s not quite the same as what you’re proposing, but it does work! The cases are usually delivered the day after you arrive.
comment at 28. October 2008