Does Crowdshipping of Parcels Generate New Passenger Trips? Evidence from the Netherlands
by Merve Seher Cebeci
In a world where the demand for parcel delivery is continuously rising, crowdshipping has emerged as a promising concept. Crowdshipping is a delivery system in which citizens undertake occasional deliveries during their daily commute. This concept is seen as a potential solution to congestion and sustainability problems, as it could reduce the amount of freight trips needed in the system. Crowdshipping platforms have emerged in many countries, and research has focused on understanding when consumers would be willing to use the service, as an alternative to the professional service provider. However, there is also a risk that crowdshipping deliveries could involve significant detours or generate new trips from people who did not yet have travel plans. While these risks could increase the pressure on the traffic network, they seem to have been overlooked in research.
Our study explores the willingness of occasional carriers (OCs) to undertake deliveries based on newly generated home-based journeys or existing commute trips. Multinomial Logit and Latent Class Choice Models were developed based on Stated Preference experiments among 250 individuals, responding to in total 2400 choice situations. The models have the expected signs and show a satisfactory fit to observations. They can help to predict in a specific context (characterized by spatial, socio-economic and demand attributes) to what extent new crowdshipping trips would be generated by those at home and those already underway. Also, they can contribute to social benefit-cost analysis of regulatory policies and investments in ICT platforms or physical infrastructures, such as mobility hubs and parcel lockers.
Some salient findings include the following. Firstly, parcel lockers have a positive impact on the willingness to be an occasional carrier in the commuter case. This result is in line with expectations, since parcel lockers might increase the flexibility of the delivery process. Secondly, we observe differences in behavior between population segments characterized by their monthly income. Low-income individuals exhibit a higher inclination to become an OC and are willing to take longer detours to deliver parcels. Thirdly, our study provides unique estimates of the value of time (VoT) of home-based and commute-based OCs. The VoT for commute-based trips for low-income class subjects was found to be around 2.5 times higher than for home-based trips. For the high-income class, this ratio was lower, around 1.5.
Our study also highlights interesting opportunities. The viability of home-based crowdshipping is found to be contingent on the predominant mode of transport in a region. In bicycle-friendly countries like the Netherlands, where robust cycling infrastructure exists, the impact of additional trips might be relatively low due to active commuter participation. Our study underscores the need for tailored approaches based on socioeconomic factors. By understanding the motivations of individuals engaging in crowdshipping, we can develop policies and initiatives that harness its potential while mitigating potential challenges.
Article Details
Does Crowdshipping of Parcels Generate New Passenger Trips? Evidence from the Netherlands
Merve Seher Cebeci, Rodrigo Javier Tapia, Ali Nadi, Michiel De Bok, Lóránt Tavasszy
First Published October 27, 2023 Research Article
DOI: 10.1177/03611981231196149
Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board
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