Rethinking Urban Freight: Laying the Groundwork for Shared Smart Parcel Lockers in Public Spaces

Urban freight transport faces growing challenges from e-commerce and urbanization. This paper evaluates a pilot of shared public Smart Parcel Lockers (SPLs) in Thessaloniki, Greece, under the DISCO project. It compares pre-implementation public expectations (n=1230 survey) regarding benefits, concerns, and location preferences with post-implementation data from two pilot lockers, including user experiences (n=200 survey) and five months of operational utilization. Findings reveal strong initial public willingness and clear location preferences. However, user satisfaction with pilot sites varied, and locker utilization differed significantly between locations, underscoring the critical role of micro-locational attributes. The study offers practical insights for optimizing future SPL deployments in urban settings, emphasizing the need to bridge the gap between general public expectations and nuanced on-theground realities.