Sustainable urban mobility

A value proposition for
the sustainable last mile

The car park must be a service hub for last-mile Delivery (LMD), freeing the city of traffic caused by cruising for parking and promoting more fluid and sustainable mobility. It is a positioning in which Saba firmly believes and for which in recent years it has developed a proposal based on two lines of action: the creation of microhubs for distribution of local goods in the car parks, and mass deployment of lockers for collection and delivery of e-commerce products.

The current urban distribution model of e-commerce, which registers very high and continued growth, and even more so after the pandemic, is unsustainable due to its impact on road congestion and the environment. The impact of the LMD in large cities represents 40% of emissions and 20% of congestion, all of which is increasing. The authorities must face this situation by taking advantage of existing city infrastructure, such as car parks. Their location in dense areas, along with their 24 hour/365 day opening gives them a relevant role in tackling pollution and congestion.

The current urban distribution model of e-commerce is unsustainable due to its impact on road congestion and the environment

Parking, a solution to the externalities of LMD

Parking spaces reserved for microhubs

Parking spaces where merchandise can be consolidated without generating traffic caused by cruising for parking and distributed using sustainable means.

Lockers

A solution open 24/7 to put an end to absurd logistics.

Click and collect

Convenient pick up of online orders.

Distribution of refrigerated goods

Support for restaurants and retail in densely populated areas, minimising the occupation of public space.

All the options for electrical charging

A safe and comfortable environment where you can recharge or exchange batteries in order to continue operations.

Pool for LMD vehicles

Areas reserved for Personal Mobility Vehicles (VMP), necessary in last-mile logistics.

There is a sustainable urban logistics model


Car parks are ideal premises for use as non-polluting distribution mini-hubs. In this way we can avoid the current congestion caused by delivery vans and facilitate more rational, efficient and safe distribution.

Advantages of the LMD model proposed by Saba


— Fewer failed deliveries

— Capillary coverage of the entire city

— Night operations (without noise or occupation of public space) with electric vans

— Proximity distribution with active and sustainable means


The impact of LMDs in large cities

40%
of emissions
20%
of congestion
+78%
last-mile demand growth
(in 2030)

Parking can act as a neutral agent in the mobility ecosystem, making room for sustainable last-mile companies or traditional logistics operators which value the well-being of citizens and wish to move towards models with fewer externalities.

We must see underground car parks, with their great capillarity, as a priority way to achieve the so-called 15‑minute city. We have accessible infrastructure in cities that can bring together services, avoiding stops for motor vehicles on public roads (49% of delivery vehicles park in double rows), and achieve a 75% reduction in emissions in the urban environment, thus integrating collecting from lockers without this representing an additional stop. This network of microhubs can also provide service to traditional retail.



Geever, a 100% sustainable operator in Barcelona


Saba and Geever have been collaborating in Barcelona since 2018 in the development of a sustainable urban merchandise distribution (LMD) model based on sustainable and efficient home delivery (last-mile), and on a network of car parks acting as microhubs for distribution and covering nearby areas that allow short routes and integration with the local district and its citizens. This experience has managed to reduce failed deliveries to below 10%.

40 microwarehouses in Barcelona

The click and collect model, a solution for failed deliveries


The option of collecting e-commerce products through lockers or smart lockers is an option that is gaining ground among citizens. In 2023, The Saba group had more than 220 lockers in four countries after signing agreements with the main market operators. This is the case of Amazon, Ali Express, Pudo, InPost and Correos de Portugal.

The network of smart lockers installed in Saba car parks has grown by 84% in the last two financial years. Promoting the culture of collecting online purchases at e-commerce lockers —which also allow these to be returned— reduces traffic in the city centre and pollution, in line with sustainable microdistribution. They are an effective solution, also to the demands of the authorities on the parcel companies because of the public space taken up by their vans. These devices can group up to 80 packages (or deliveries) in a single space with the consequent savings in trips to those 80 different addresses.


Lockers at Saba 2023

224
locations in Spain, Italy, Portugal and the United Kingdom
Available
24/7
Agreements with the main market operators