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

数字经济（例如在线购物）正在迅速增长-2016年已经达到500亿英镑-这正在从根本上改变商业街。据估计，伦敦在一个典型的工作日约有220，000辆面包车运营，其中约5%（11，000辆）从事包裹收集和交付。随着ASOS和亚马逊Prime Wardrobe等新的“先试后买”服装服务的出现，在这些服务中，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和城市所有机动道路车辆活动的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模式（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负载系数提高20%，并将路边停留时间减少50%以上（FTC 2050，2018）。但这也带来了新的挑战：2017年，伦敦涉及物流业的企业数量为69，105家，自2010年以来增长了82%。由于对这种自雇劳动力的公平性和条件的担忧，例如最近的泰勒审查，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，并可能更好地设计以鼓励可靠，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案例研究，调查当前的零工经济实践和技术互动和偏见;2.揭露当前特设最后一英里服务提供和算法方法所产生的效率低下和不公平;3.开发新的算法和动态模型，允许快递员以新的方式进行合作，以鼓励可持续的“多模式”交付和收集;4.创建新的算法和交互设计（HCI/UX），优化为零工经济快递员提供支持，而不是纯粹的利润，以更好地满足工作偏好和个人情况;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.探索我们如何在发货人和收货人之间实现端到端的信任关系和实践;6.使用模拟、建模和试验来评估潜在影响，并发现大规模采用我们提出的新模型的障碍。潜在影响：我们期望我们的工作能够带来社会、环境和经济效益。*作为物流业务基础的系统设计师和软件开发人员将受益于我们跨越快递和交付模式的新混合方法;并优化以解决对工人的公平性以及端到端服务可靠性和信任度的担忧。英国快递和快递包裹行业每年产生约101亿英镑的收入，使用生活方式快递的协作调度，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。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是一家专门研究物流行业路由算法的数据科学公司; Gnewt-Menzies是一家大型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。我们还在积极与另一家主要物流运营商进行讨论，该运营商可以提供更多的生活方式快递服务（出于法律的原因，该运营商要求匿名）。伦敦交通局致力于从该项目的产出中学习，以告知政策。

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.