Swiss Post pedals its way to green last mile deliveries

The logistics industry has danced around its profoundly detrimental impact on the planet’s ecosystem ever since environmental consciousness became a corporate buzzword. That’s why it’s always refreshing to hear about developments such as Swiss Post’s acquisition of a 51 percent stake in the start-up “notime” – a technology company providing bicycle courier services.

While Swiss Post was hyping notime’s ability to handle last-mile deliveries in urban areas, it’s the environmental implications that caught our interest. With the country’s mountainous terrain, if the Swiss can get their e-commerce deliveries by bicycle, so can you.

Swiss Post said that its investment was in response to rising demand for same-day delivery. “Customers, especially those living in urban areas, increasingly want to receive the goods they have ordered on the same day. It is vital for Swiss Post to invest early in this growth market in the very competitive logistics sector and take a leading role.”

“With our majority stake in notime, we want to play a leading role in shaping this business segment in Switzerland,” said Dieter Bambauer, head of PostLogistics. “We can already see in cities and conurbations that providing fast and eco-friendly delivery will give us a key competitive advantage.”

Swiss Post has already worked with “notime” in the past. The Swiss technology company has developed a platform that provides online sellers with delivery options, including automated route planning and same-day delivery. The goods ordered online through “notime” are then delivered directly to the customer’s front door in an environmentally friendly way via bike courier.