Speech by Minister Desmond Lee at the URA Urban Lab Exhibition - “Delivering Into The Future: Enabling Safe and Efficient Deliveries”

Nov 15, 2024

INTRODUCTION

Good afternoon. Thank you all for joining me at the launch of the 11^th edition of URA’s Urban Lab Exhibition series.

In this edition, we showcase the work by all of you - the Tripartite Workgroup – which started some time ago. This exhibition will set out some of the new technologies and new practices for urban logistics. I want to take this chance to thank not just the Tripartite Workgroup but also the two co-chairs who have done a wonderful job of bringing us altogether, and bringing out the best in this tripartite framework.

GROWTH IN E-COMMERCE

E-commerce is now part and parcel of our lives. Not too long ago, we talked about how e-commerce is incrementally growing, but COVID came and it really lit a spark. Today, we see e-commerce as really part of daily life.

A lot more people are shopping online, and many of us now rely on deliveries for fast and convenient access to a wide range of goods. Our way of life as changed.

To support the growth of e-commerce, the Government has adapted infrastructure and introduced initiatives to facilitate deliveries and protect the welfare of our delivery personnel. Because this is an evolving landscape, people are feeling their way, adjusting along the way, and I think the infrastructure is still settling, day by day, month by month.

FROM PILOT TO PRACTICE

One example of these initiatives that we’ve launched is the Courier Hub Scheme.

We piloted this in 2021, arising from engagements with delivery companies and as well as feedback from the ground.  Residents voiced unhappiness about disamenities in their estate, while delivery workers struggled to find suitable areas to quickly unload and sort large numbers of parcels.

With courier hubs, delivery workers have a safer and more convenient space to sort parcels, before walkers deliver them to residents’ doorsteps.

This enabled faster deliveries and managed the impact of disamenities. We also better optimise the spaces in our HDB multi-storey car parks, especially those on the higher levels.  

We have formalised this scheme, and are happy to support companies who are interested to participate.

We will be extending the application period till end-January next year, to enable more companies to take part.   

Over time, I believe that courier hubs can improve our last-mile delivery experience.

Another example would be our island-wide locker network.

Before such locker networks, delivery workers may have to make multiple trips within the same area to drop off parcels that residents have ordered. Sometimes, customers were not home, and delivery teams had to return another day or timeslot to deliver them. It was a hassle for both sides and created inefficiencies.

What was needed is a single location within an area, where delivery personnel can drop off parcels. Customers can then collect them when convenient.

Pick Network, a subsidiary of the Infocomm Media Development Authority, saw this gap and launched this initiative in 2021, during the COVID pandemic.

Today, these lockers have become commonplace in housing estates, community clubs, and transport nodes.

We will continue to expand this network, to bring greater convenience to more people.

From this month onwards, an additional 150 lockers will be installed in new housing estates such as Tampines GreenCourt, Fernvale Glades, and Alkaff Oasis at Bidadari Park.

GREENER DELIVERIES

As we strive towards our net-zero emissions targets, the Government is also working with our industry to make goods deliveries greener.

For example, LTA is encouraging delivery riders to adopt ‘greener’ modes of transport, such as e-motorcycles.

But it takes some time to charge e-motorcycles’ batteries. This slows our delivery riders down and can potentially affect their livelihood.

To address this, Gogoro, foodpanda, and Cycle & Carriage Singapore have piloted battery swapping stations under an LTA sandbox.

Under this sandbox, Riders can quickly swap depleted batteries for fully-charged ones, minimising downtime.

We are also studying how our physical infrastructure can adapt to support Autonomous Mobile Robots which may take on future deliveries, especially at the absolute last-mile.

This future is almost upon us. QuikBot will start trials on their Autonomous Final Mile Delivery platform at Marina Bay, Fusionopolis and Punggol Digital District early next year.

By consolidating deliveries and reducing the need for large delivery vehicles, QuikBot’s platform could potentially reduce emissions during deliveries by around 50%. They also minimise the need for delivery workers to access or make multiple trips within the same office development.

Such initiatives do not just enhance our delivery systems. They also spur transformation of our whole logistics sector, by creating new jobs and encouraging the upskilling of our workforce.

DELIVERING IMPROVEMENTS VIA ENGAGEMENTS

We would like to encourage more of such initiatives, test them out, trial them in sandboxes, and we have stepped up our engagement efforts in this regard.

Last November, we formed a Tripartite Workgroup, bringing together representatives from our Government agencies, our labour unions, our residential and office developments, as well as industry associations to tackle the challenges that we face in last-mile delivery. .

Our Tripartite Workgroup has since heard from many different stakeholders.

Residents and commercial tenants shared with us concerns about what they perceive as dangerous riding and illegal parking.

However, these behaviours could partly result from the infrastructure gaps and time pressures faced by delivery workers.

They highlighted to us a lack of waiting bays as well as clear signages for wayfinding. They know the place inside out, and they know what it takes to deliver the parcel directly to the customer. They also encounter onerous entry requirements at some private developments.

Through our visits and walkabouts with you, we found some good practices to address these common pain points.

For instance, some developments provide waiting bays with clear signages and safety markings. Some of you have designated collection points.

Some are also using building management apps to streamline entry procedures, so delivery riders don’t have to keep filing up forms.

As a first step, agencies and industry partners have compiled these practices into a best practice guide. Let’s start there.  

The Tripartite Workgroup is currently exploring ways to scale such good practices to more locations.

These could include introducing requirements to provide facilities that support delivery services, such as waiting bays.

For safer last-mile deliveries, our colleagues at LTA are working with the National Delivery Champions Association, the Digital Platforms Industry Association, and the Workplace Safety and Health Council to develop an e-guide on safe riding and parking practices for delivery personnel.

Besides developments and delivery workers, our platforms also have a role to play to ensure smooth deliveries.

For example, our platforms can provide a one-stop shop for useful information, such as where there are waiting bays and the duration of parking grace periods.

Our engagement efforts are not only limited to the Tripartite Workgroup. We need all stakeholders to work together in this ecosystem and value chain, and implement solutions best suited for each site. Therefore, we will start with a guide, see how we can scale through incentives, moral suasion, encouragement, education and outreach, and possibly even some requirements and regulation, if necessary.

CONCLUSION

As you walk around later, I hope the exhibition gives you food for thought.

Do think about how new innovations and practices for last-mile deliveries can be implemented for your business or community.

To representatives from the developments, MCSTs and grassroots - some of you are here today - I strongly encourage you to partner with the Workgroup to push for these efforts in your communities and locations.  

With that, I want to thank you once again for doing this important work, and let’s enjoy the exhibition and regroup again soon. Thank you.