Locating the correct apartment or building swiftly poses a significant challenge for delivery services and gig couriers, becoming one of their primary concerns. The Wall Street Journal has reported on this issue, shedding light on various observations. In some urban regions, a significant portion of drivers’ time is dedicated to tasks outside their vehicles, such as searching for the correct apartment, notes Anne Goodchild, the founding director of the Urban Freight Lab.
Locating the correct door in multiunit buildings can be time-consuming, potentially taking up to 30 minutes, in contrast to the mere 30 seconds required for deliveries to standalone, single-family homes. Drivers report that mapping applications such as Google, Apple, and Waze usually guide them only to an apartment complex’s entrance gate, lobby, or leasing office.
“When available, our app provides drivers with helpful information that informs them of what side of the street a delivery is on, the layouts and mapping of multiunit complexes, and shared delivery points at locations like college campuses,” says Branden Baribeau, from Amazon to WSJ. He adds that drivers also get photographs of buildings, units, and mailrooms on Amazon’s delivery app to help them confirm the correct location.
Beans.ai is tackling this problem by providing delivery drivers with interior building maps to assist them in navigating during drop-offs. Alternatively, some companies give the drivers one-time gate or apartment-building access codes. Beans.ai users receive a map displaying detailed information, such as the nearest parking spot and the recommended route from the vehicle to the doorstep. This includes gate access codes or other location-identifying tips.
On the other hand, FedEx claims to utilize Global Positioning System (GPS) software, which notifies couriers if they reach a location significantly distant from the delivery address. Similarly, UPS employs a navigation platform called On-Road Integrated Optimization and Navigation, abbreviated as Orion. These offering UPS drivers information on package drop-offs and loading docks may not be visible from the street.