Possibilities of First and Last mile Travel
If you have been keeping yourself updated with the developments in urban travel, there is no way you wouldn’t have heard the term “First and Last mile”. The topic is being discussed worldwide as it’s the distance of the commute which makes the commute 6 times more expensive even after having affordable and efficient public transit system. So, what’s the world doing about it? Are the city officials along with mobility experts onto something to resolve this problem? How convenient is it to use multi modal transport to solve first and last mile commute?
And if you are confused about the term itself, that’s not your fault. This term has been used for various industries before and this article will help you understand how it is relevant to daily commuting space.
Defining the “first mile”&”last mile”
The usage of the terms “First Mile” and “Last Mile” originally was noticed in the telecommunications industry while referring to the initial and final leg of the telecommunication network services delivered to the customers in the age old times of landline network. Then the industry of supply chain management which involved transporting of goods from one point to another used these terms. Transferring of goods had to happen from initial manufacturing plant or warehouse to high capacity freight stations and then to their final destination (retail stores, restaurants, hotels, other businesses etc).
As per several researches, the least efficient part has always been the last mile, comprising up to 28% of the total cost to transfer goods.
The hyperlocal companies like food delivering Swiggy, online grocery delivering Grofers and even e-commerce giants like Amazon and Flipkart have been extremely strong in the game and have kept the bar for competition so high majorly because of the efficient logistics optimisation. Although these players are not for various factors attributing to their success, but the game changer for them has been handling the logistics in the most efficient manner.
In recent times, the terms, First Mile and Last Mile (FMLM) are being used popularly in the field of urban travel in the context of commuting to or from bus stops, metro stations or railway stations. First Mile could be any distance which one travels to reach to the public transit system from their homes or from their origin of journey. Similarly, last mile could be any distance one commutes from mostly the public transit system towards the final destination that could be one’s home on his way back from work, a coffee shop from home etc.
Walking has appeared to be an acceptable solution for first mile and last mile problem. But most people say that it is convenient only if the public transit stop is 1/4 mile away. Having said that, sometimes even walking doesn’t fit the bill because of lack in infrastructure of safe pedestrian walkways. This inconvenience of figuring out the initial and final leg of transit is commonly called as First and Last mile problem. Also, in reality, the transit stops are mostly farther from major housing localities and other destinations leading to the ever persistent first mile and last mile problem.
Why is first mile / last mile problem so complex?
Reaching to or from the primary and public mode of travel is quite challenging for all the major urban cities. While the city officials lay a lot of emphasis on improving the public transit and increasing its usage but commuting first and last mile to reach the public transit stop is coming across as a huge roadblock for people and thus prevents them from using public transport.
As per a general rule of thumb in West, any public transit stop which is more than a walk of 1/4 mile from a person’s origin point will not be used as much.
On an average, the public transport in the world stops only every mile and most locations where people come from or have to go are beyond a comfortable walking distance to the station. Although a great public transit system is getting in place in major metropolitan cities, it’s far from being utilized to the best because of the first and last mile problem which plagues almost all the urban cities.
Other than the inconvenience of walking towards the bus / metro or rail stops, weather is also a huge factor which determines the usage of the public transportation. If the weather is too cold or hot or rainy and isn’t appropriate to walk the distance, then people end up using the expensive modes of commute like cabs or personal cars.
Simply put, the otherwise efficient and brilliant public transport doesn’t transport us to the exact location where people intend to go. Owning a car or a scooter does not work out every-time for every economic class of people. Even if they somehow manage to get a self owned vehicle, parking in the urban areas are a huge problem and is not available everywhere they have to go. And the most talked about alternate — walking is neither the most efficient nor the most convenient way.
A quote from a study — “More often than not, we see that our cities are built for vehicles rather than for people.”
Planning of urban cities has also taken a toll on the first and last mile commute. The city officials are always facing challenges to resolve this problem but have never been able to resolve entirely because of ever changing and growing metropolitan areas. Owing to growing suburbanisation, the existing residential areas are far from the city business center and from the important places of visit and the upcoming business districts bring along the challenges like limited pedestrian travel etc. Thus, the problem of figuring out the mode of first and last mile persists and people are always on the lookout of commuting this distance in a way that saves time, effort and money.
Exploring solutions for resolving the first and last mile problem
We have to look at a holistic approach towards solving this problem which deters the efforts done in improving the public transport.
1) Transit oriented development
“A developed country is not a place where the poor have cars. It’s where rich use public transportation.” — Mayor of Bogotá
Transit Oriented Development if put simply is effective city infrastructure planning so that the business, residential and leisure areas can be reached by a walk from a mode of public transport. A huge emphasis is being laid upon on walking and cycling while working towards transit oriented development. Delhi and Jaipur are setting the examples for all the metro cities in India by implementing Transit Oriented Development.
The government organizations in Jaipur — Jaipur Smart City Corporation, Jaipur Metro and Jaipur Development Authority have immensely supported the e- bike sharing players in the city. The authorities are contributing in setting up charging stations, addressing the concerns of parking infrastructure and regulations.
A classic example of increase in usage of bike sharing is exhibited by New York’s Citi bike which claimed that the usage of bikes went up by ten folds due to improved infrastructure support. Now, that’s what shows the impact of government support and infrastructural development keeping public transits in mind.
2) Bike sharing
Logically, there seems no reason that why should a commuter take out a 1000kg vehicle and spend 6 times more for a short commute when the same small distance can be covered by a 10kg vehicle like a bicycle and save on a huge cost. If the infrastructure is put in place, there can’t be a better solution than a bike sharing to the problem of First and Last Mile. It’s economical, green and extremely convenient.
3) Seamless multimodal connectivity
To facilitate millions of daily commutes and to make those commutes more convenient, budget friendly and efficient, city officials have realized that there can’t be a one-size-fits-all solution. While government keeps exploring new alternatives to public transport, they understand that it is only half the battle won. There has to be a series of travel modes well inter connected and seamlessly integrated with each other to be able to commute from origin to destination effortlessly.
Around the world, the public officials are looking at various technology players to introduce adaptable means to make the transport inter connected in terms of connecting First Mile / Last Mile to the Public Transit system. Cities are offering a multi-modal network of travel options that might include buses, metro, rail, car taxis, bike rentals, scooters, shared cycles etc. To effortlessly interconnect, all these modes need an extensive research and detailed planning to cater to a broad range of interrelated issues. The key here is that all these modes have to be well developed for the overall success of mobility initiatives.
As people are becoming more and more dependent on the smartphone applications, it is only wise to leverage the technologies to be able to make multi modal systems more adaptable to the commuters. The mobility apps intend to help people plan door -to-door transit in real time as well as making payments seamless. This gives a customized personal travel route and modes to meet the travel preferences of the customers. This solution is being explored in western part of the world and yet to see the light of the day in India.
MaaS technologies are enabling people to adapt to ever changing events during the transit like traffic, infrastructure etc and helping them to save money and time.Industry players like Bird, Jump, Ofo and Lime are the popular trend setters in US and China to enable people to commute through the first and last mile using scooter or bike rental service.
The other solution could be using a bicycle to commute the first and last mile to and from the public transit stops, but the deterrents could be the insufficient bike parking spaces, unsafe driveway for the bicycle riders. The unison of government and private entities only can ensure the successful implementation of MaaS technologies.
There has undoubtedly been a paradigm shift from car ownership to owning or renting scooters, bicycles and other technology-enabled shared modes. We must admit that the millennials weigh cost of utility versus ownership before making the call. Also, the hassles of owning a vehicle are huge like regular maintenance, parking spaces and many more. By realizing the demand of car alternatives for first and last mile, cities are taking note of the fact that it’s time to introduce smart mobility, better infrastructure and goal oriented regulations for people to be able to adapt such mobility modes.
With efforts put in right directions like better urban planning, improved infrastructure for bicycle riding, bike share facilities, introduction of e-bikes, more walking, any city could be prepared to tackle the problem of first and last mile commute. If enough efforts are invested in exploring alternative options to cars and taxis and other unsustainable modes, perhaps we could change the direction of the discussion of the “last mile problem” to a conversation on the inexhaustible possibilities of first and last mile travel. It’s time we address this demon in the mobility which will engulf the cities with pollution, congestion, burning holes in the pocket of commuters and many more ills if not taken care now.
Journeys don’t begin when you first step foot on a bus or train. They begin the moment you leave your home.
