Research Background: The Dilemma of On-Demand Delivery and the Rise of Drone Services
On-demand food-delivery platforms such as UberEats, DoorDash, and Meituan have become increasingly popular across various countries, revolutionizing the way we consume food. However, the rapid growth of these platforms also presents significant societal challenges. During peak hours, customers often experience delivery delays due to high order volumes, insufficient courier supply, and road congestion. To manage this surge in demand with limited fleet size, platforms frequently assign orders to couriers with very tight delivery windows, which can compromise courier safety and raise substantial social issues related to labor rights and road safety.
According to reports from the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government, in the first half of 2019, there were 325 road traffic accidents involving the express delivery and food-delivery industries in the city, resulting in 5 deaths and 324 injuries. These incidents illustrate the considerable pressure on stakeholders and highlight the urgent need to find lasting solutions.
With the advancement of drone technology and the ongoing development of the low-altitude economy, drone delivery has emerged as a promising solution. Compared to human couriers, drones offer faster delivery speeds, lower operational costs, independence from traffic conditions, reduced environmental impacts, and increased accessibility. Many food-delivery companies worldwide have already endeavored to implement drone delivery services. Manna, an Irish drone delivery company, has launched takeaway deliveries in Dublin. Wing launched drone-assisted food-delivery services in Melbourne in 2024. Flytrex, operating in North Carolina and Texas, successfully fulfilled 100,000 food delivery orders in 2024. However, these initiatives primarily target rural and less populated urban areas. Adapting this model to densely populated urban regions presents notable challenges.
Methodology: An Innovative Mixed-Fleet Collaborative Delivery Model
Researchers Yang Liu, Yitong Shang, and Sen Li from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology have proposed an innovative collaborative delivery model, similar to Meituan’s practice in Shenzhen, China. This model utilizes a mixed fleet of drones and human couriers within a multimodal delivery network, allowing for two types of delivery: (a) ground delivery and (b) drone-assisted delivery (air delivery).
In ground delivery, an order is collected at the restaurant and transported to its destination using various ground transportation modes such as cars, motorcycles, or bicycles, all managed by a human courier. For air delivery, the process is segmented into three legs: initially, a human courier picks up the order from the restaurant (potentially bundled with other orders) and transports it to a nearby launchpad. These launchpads are staffed by personnel who load the orders onto drones and replace batteries as needed. The loaded drone then transports the order from the launchpad to a kiosk, which is an automated facility designed to accommodate drone landings and securely store orders. Subsequently, another courier retrieves the order from the kiosk for delivery to the final destination.
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