Dive Brief:
- The New York City Department of Transportation is expanding a delivery locker pilot program to 36 additional locations in the next several weeks in a bid to curb package theft and truck traffic, according to a Sept. 17 news release.
- The program, called LockerNYC, offers free public delivery lockers for sending and receiving packages on public sidewalks and in indoor locations across the city's five boroughs. LockerNYC will have a total of 70 locations once the new lockers are available.
- Since the program's launch in April 2024, LockerNYC users have made more than 15,000 reservations for package pickups and dropoffs, according to the release. GoLocker operates and maintains the program's lockers and accepts packages from UPS, FedEx, the U.S. Postal Service, DHL and other carriers, per the delivery locker company’s website.
Dive Insight:
The additional delivery lockers aim to stymie package theft, an issue of growing concern for U.S. shippers, carriers and consumers. NYC DOT said in 2023 that 90,000 packages were reported stolen or lost in transit every day in the city.
“Nearly 80 percent of households receive at least one package a week," NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said in the September release. "The LockerNYC program offers a safe and free way to send and receive those packages without having to worry about porch pirates ruining your day."
Through the program, the DOT seeks to reduce truck trips by centralizing deliveries that otherwise would need to go to separate addresses. The release noted that nearly 90% of goods move into and through New York City by truck.
The latest expansion is the pilot program's final phase before NYC DOT evaluates the program next summer, according to the release.
LockerNYC isn't the only delivery-focused initiative for New York City. The city announced a local delivery hub program in 2023 in which trucks transfer shipments to low-emissions transportation options. Earlier this year, NYC DOT launched the first pilot locations for the undertaking.
