150 parcel lockers to be installed in new estates like Bidadari, Sengkang

Residents in some new housing estates, such as Alkaff Oasis in Bidadari Park, Fernvale Glades in Sengkang West and Tampines GreenCourt in Tampines North, may soon benefit from 150 parcel lockers that will be installed in their neighbourhoods over the next three years.

These lockers, operated by Pick Network, will allow residents to conveniently collect and return parcels at any time of the day, eliminating the need to reschedule missed deliveries or wait for someone to pick up a return.

A mock-up of a Pick Network locker was one of several last-mile delivery solutions on display at a new exhibition launched by National Development Minister Desmond Lee at The URA Centre in Maxwell Road on Nov 15. The exhibition showcases ongoing efforts by the Government and industry to improve last-mile deliveries.

Pick Network, which is owned by the Infocomm Media Development Authority, currently operates 1,010 lockers located at community clubs, in housing estates, and at transport nodes across Singapore.

The average number of parcels dropped off at its lockers daily has increased from fewer than 100 in 2021 to more than 20,000 in 2024, Pick Network chief executive New Soon Tee told The Straits Times.

While the network does not handle grocery delivery, it is working with at least two hospitals under the National Healthcare Group – including Tan Tock Seng Hospital and Woodlands Health – on a medicine delivery trial, Mr New said, to ease waiting times for patients who do not need their medication urgently.

Another last-mile delivery initiative, which Mr Lee highlighted, is the courier hub scheme, which was piloted in 2021 and 2022, and formalised in September.

Under the scheme, courier companies can apply to use parking spaces at more than 50 Housing Board multi-storey carparks to support their delivery activities, such as the loading, unloading, sorting and dispatching of parcels.

“With courier hubs, delivery personnel have a safe and convenient space to sort parcels before walkers deliver them to residents’ doorsteps,” Mr Lee said.

Besides enabling faster deliveries, “we also better optimise the spaces in our HDB multi-storey carparks”, he noted.

Companies interested in the courier hub scheme can apply to the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and HDB. Applications close in end-January 2025.

A government-led work group that includes unions and industry associations was formed in November 2023 to look into ways to improve parcel and food deliveries for workers, businesses, consumers and property management staff, to make processes safer and more efficient.

So far, the Tripartite Workgroup on Last-Mile Delivery, co-led by URA and the Land Transport Authority (LTA), has engaged various parties, including residents and various businesses, who have raised “common pain points”, such as dangerous riding and the lack of waiting bays, Mr Lee said.

“Through our visits and walkabouts, we found some good practices to address these common pain points,” he added.

Based on a survey conducted by the work group of more than 2,000 delivery workers on the challenges they face, their top two challenges are a lack of appropriate parking spaces (66 per cent of respondents), and large and inaccessible compounds (18 per cent).

A best practice guide is in the works to outline what has been done to address these issues, such as dedicated waiting bays for delivery workers and streamlined entry procedures so that these workers do not have to keep filling in forms.

Also being worked on is an e-guide on safe riding and parking practices for delivery workers.

LTA is working with the National Delivery Champions Association, Digital Platforms Industry Association and Workplace Safety and Health Council to produce this, Mr Lee said.

The same survey of delivery workers showed that the top factors that contribute to positive delivery experiences are the provision of adequate parking spaces (45 per cent), smooth entry procedures (40 per cent), and good layout and wayfinding (9 per cent).

Robots by home-grown start-up QuikBot Technologies were also on display at the exhibition at The URA Centre. These robots can navigate the maze of lifts, walkways and gantries in office buildings autonomously to deliver parcels, and are currently being used at the South Beach Tower cluster.

 

QuikBot will begin trials of its autonomous final-mile delivery platform in Marina Bay, Fusionopolis and Punggol Digital District by January 2025, and potentially in other business clusters across Singapore in the future, URA said.

Mr Lee said QuikBot minimises the need for delivery crew to access or make multiple trips within an office development.

The exhibition at The URA Centre atrium is free, and open to the public until Jan 25, 2025. Free guided tours are available on Tuesdays, Thursdays and selected Saturdays.