It arrives on an environmentally friendly cargo bike, doesn't have to park in the second row and delivers parcels from all shippers and delivery services directly to the front door at the desired time: the Berlin Kiezbote. The research project, which ended after two years, was so successful that it is now being continued as a start-up. "We have seen that the idea works and were able to prove that recipients were much more satisfied with the Kiezbote than before," summarizes logistics expert and project manager Prof. Dr. Stephan Seeck (HTW Berlin). The operation is also economically feasible, provided there are enough customers willing to pay.

The pilot project began in July 2020 in four selected zip code areas in the Charlottenburg district and quickly proved popular with the population. A total of over 200 households registered. The neighborhood couriers collected their parcels in a micro-depot in the neighborhood and delivered them in an environmentally friendly way by cargo bike after making an individual appointment via app.

While the service was free of charge in the pilot phase, the young Kiezbote GmbH now has to charge fees. "From 100 parcels a day, we manage to become operationally profitable," says Daniel Quiter, future Managing Director of the newly founded company. The company is also testing various options for establishing additional services, such as returns collection or the collection and disposal of bulky waste. "Maybe we'll soon be delivering the after-work beer with the parcels," says Quiter. If the team succeeds in building a successful business model, they plan to expand into other neighborhoods and cities in 2022. There are already inquiries.

In addition to the two universities HTW Berlin and HWR Berlin, several Berlin companies were also involved in the research project: the online retailer Zalando SE, the bicycle logistics company Cycle Logistics CL GmbH and the logistics consultancy 4flow AG. The following partners joined in during the project: Pickshare® (software), citkar (cargo bike), nebenan.de and the Charlottenburger Baugenossenschaft. The Berlin Senate funded the project via the Institute for Applied Research Berlin (IFAF Berlin).