Minister for Transport Chee Hong Tat and Minister for National Development Desmond Lee announced on Jul. 22 that the authorities will study measures to facilitate a smoother process for food and parcel delivery in Singapore.

In a Facebook post, Chee said he had visited Lake Grande Condo and Jurong Point Shopping Centre on Jul. 19 along with Lee and representatives from the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), the National Delivery Champions Association (NDCA),

Representatives from the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) were present too.

The group looked at best practices adopted by the mall and condo management to improve last-mile experiences for delivery workers, such as dedicated waiting areas and a WhatsApp channel for updates on on site conditions and safety information.

Such best practices will also be showcased at an exhibition at the end of 2024 as part of the Urban Redevelopment Authority's (URA) Draft Master Plan 2025 public engagement, Lee wrote in a separate Facebook post.

Measures implemented and what might be rolled out

In June 2024, Chee, along with Lee and NTUC Secretary General Ng Chee Meng had engaged a group of delivery workers and development representatives in a focus group session to understand some of the last-mile delivery challenges that they face.

Chee said the visit on Jul. 19 was part of continued efforts to study these challenges.

He also noted that there are already some measures in place at both locations.

At Lake Grande Condominium, clear signages for way finding and a dedicated parking area for food delivery workers have been made available.

Jurong Point also has dedicated parking spaces and concession season parking rates for delivery workers.

Chee said that authorities will study how some of these measures can be scaled up and implemented at more places.

He added that it aims to ensure a safe and efficient work process for delivery workers and facility management staff, while also ensuring residents can enjoy the convenience of having their food and parcels delivered.

"Enterprises also benefit as this can lead to an increase in their online orders, to supplement the business from their walk-in customers," said Chee.

"Solutions need to be locally developed"

In his post, Lee said that solutions to last-mile delivery issues need to be locally developed as the challenges are site-specific.

Lee added: "For this to happen, there need to be localised alliances for action to encourage conversation and joint solutioning, so that pick-up and delivery is smooth and efficient while minimising disamenities to riders, residents, operators and the public."

Lee said that they are hoping to keep such conversations ongoing while more ideas and solutions for last-mile delivery are being developed.

Issues raised during focus group

In a focus group at the URA Centre on Jun. 26, 60 delivery workers and representatives discussed ongoing last-mile challenges and also proposed potential solutions.

Those who participated highlighted issues such as the lack of shelters for delivery waiting bays as well as restrictions on delivery personnel's access to carparks.

Some proposed solutions include converting existing spaces into waiting areas, extending parking grace periods, and setting up self-collection lockers for consumers.

Participants also cited safety issues raised by residents in condominiums, and suggested that delivery workers use delivery apps or other standardised identification cards for security purposes.

Top photos via Chee Hong Tat 徐芳达/Facebook