Digitally transforming deliveries and collections in the gig-economy: fairer and more sustainable last mile parcel logistics

数字经济（如网上购物）正在迅速增长，2016年已经达到500亿英镑，这从根本上改变了高街。据估计，在一个典型的工作日，伦敦约有22万辆货车在运行，其中约有5%（1.1万辆）从事包裹收集和递送。随着ASOS和亚马逊黄金会员衣橱等新的“先试后买”服装服务的出现，任何数量的服装都可以订购送货上门，并“免费”退货，真正的环境成本正在失控。货运已经占英国城镇机动车辆活动的16%，通常燃烧化石燃料，分别占道路二氧化碳、氮氧化物和PM10排放总量的23%、36%和39% ！我们之前的工作已经强调了涉及可持续交通方式（步行和骑自行车）和生活方式快递员/零工经济工人的新模式如何将平均车辆载客率提高20%，并将路边停留时间减少50%以上（FTC2050, 2018）。但这也带来了新的挑战：2017年，伦敦从事物流行业的企业数量为69105家，没有员工（即使用零工经济工人），比2010年增长了82%。由于担心这种个体经营劳动力的公平性和条件，例如最近的泰勒评论，需要进行研究，以了解算法和数字平台是如何鼓励这种不公平的，并且可能更好地设计为鼓励可靠，公平，可持续和道德的端到端物流。我们将:1。以伦敦的包裹和食品配送行业为例，调查当前的零工经济实践、技术互动和偏见；2 .揭露目前特设的最后一英里服务提供和算法方法所产生的低效率和不公平现象；3 .开发新的算法和动态模型，使快递员能够以新的方式进行合作，以鼓励可持续的“多式联运”交付和收集；创建新的算法和交互设计（HCI/UX），优化零工经济快递员的能力，而不是纯粹的利润，以更好地满足工作偏好和个人情况；4 .更有效地将这些与工作地点和可用性相匹配，使用可持续的交通方式；5 .探索如何在发货人和收货人之间建立端到端的信任关系和实践；使用模拟、建模和试验来评估潜在的影响，并揭示大规模采用我们提出的新模型的障碍。潜在影响：我们期望从我们的工作中产生社会、环境和经济效益。*物流业务的系统设计人员和软件开发人员将从我们跨越快递员和交付模式的新混合方法中受益；并优化以解决对工人的公平、端到端服务的可靠性和信任等问题。*英国快递和快递包裹行业的年收入约为101亿英镑，使用生活方式快递员的协同调度，其中很大一部分将使用涉及可持续运输模式的新运营实践。*政策制定者对此很感兴趣，他们可以为更广泛的采用设定框架，减少相关污染，并有利于城市环境。我们的创新行业合作伙伴有能力帮助我们实现这一影响：Miralis是一家数据科学公司，专门研究物流行业的路由算法；Gnewt-Menzies是一家规模庞大、创新的最后一英里物流公司，在伦敦运营着最大的可持续物流业务。我们还在与另一家大型物流运营商积极讨论，后者可以提供更多的生活方式快递员（出于法律原因，他们要求不透露姓名）。伦敦交通局致力于从项目的产出中学习，为政策提供信息。

The digital economy (e.g. online shopping) is growing rapidly - already £50bn in 2016 - which is radically transforming the high street. It is estimated that approximately 220,000 vans are operating in London on a typical weekday with approximately 5% (11,000) engaged in parcel collection and delivery. With new `try before you by' clothing services such as ASOS and Amazon Prime Wardrobe, where any number of clothing items can be ordered for home delivery, and returned 'for free', the true environmental costs are spiralling out of control. Freight transport already accounts for 16% of all motorised road vehicle activity in British towns and cities, typically burning fossil fuels and accounting for 23%, 36% and 39% of total road-based CO2, NOx and PM10 emissions respectively!Our previous work has already highlighted how new models involving sustainable transport modes (walking and cycling) and life-style couriers/ gig-economy workers might increase average vehicle load factors by 20%, and reduce kerbside dwell time by over 50% (FTC2050, 2018). But this raises new challenges: the number of businesses in London involved in the logistics sector with no employees (i.e. using gig-economy workers) was 69,105 in 2017, up 82% since 2010. With concerns about the fairness and conditions attributed to this self-employed workforce, e.g. the recent Taylor review, research is needed to understand how algorithms and digital platforms are already encouraging this unfairness, and might be better designed to encourage dependable, equitable, sustainable and ethical end-to-end logistics.We will:1. Investigate current gig economy practices and technology interaction and biases using the parcel and food delivery sectors in London as a case study;2. Expose the inefficiencies and inequities arising from current ad-hoc last-mile service provision and algorithmic approaches;3. Develop new algorithms and dynamic models for allowing couriers to collaborate in new ways to encourage sustainable 'multi-modal' delivery and collection;4. Create new algorithms and interaction designs (HCI/UX) that optimise for empowering gig economy couriers, rather than purely profit, to better meet working preferences and personal circumstances; matching these more efficiently to work location and availability, the use of sustainable modes of transport;5. Explore how we can enable end-to-end trusted relationships and practices between consignors and consignees;6. Use simulation, modelling, and trials to evaluate the potential impact and uncover barriers to adoption of the new models we propose at scale.POTENTIAL IMPACTS:We expect social, environmental and economic benefits to arise from our work.* System designers and software developers underlying logistics businesses will benefit from our new hybrid approaches that span couriers and modes of delivery; and optimise to address concerns of fairness to workers, and end-to-end service reliability and trust.* UK courier and express parcel industry generates annual revenue of approximately £10.1 billion, collaborative scheduling using life-style couriers, a significant proportion of which would be using new operating practices involving sustainable transport modes.* This is of interest to policy makers who can set the framework for wider adoption, reducing associated pollution and benefit the city environment.Our innovative industry partners are well placed to help us realise this impact: Miralis are a data science company specialising in routing algorithms for the logistics industry; Gnewt-Menzies are a substantial and innovative last-mile logistics company who run the largest sustainable logistics operation in London. We are also in active discussions with a further major logistics operator who can provide further access to lifestyle couriers (who've asked not to be named for legal reasons). Transport for London are committed to learning from the outputs of the project to inform policy.