Utrecht launches micro-hub model to green last-mile grocery delivery

The city of Utrecht, together with JUMBO, launched their pilot to reshape how online-ordered groceries reach the dense, car-restricted city centre.

The goal of the pilot is to investigate how e-grocery can be delivered with zero impact. For that, the initiative replaces conventional van deliveries with a stationary ‘micro-hub’ inside the city, from which groceries are distributed using light electric vehicles, and ensures that customers in difficult-to-reach or car-free or low-car neighbourhoods can still receive home deliveries.

Parked delivery van acts as a consolidation hub in the centre, where trucks face strict weight and time restrictions. From this fixed location, orders will be delivered to customers using electric cargo trailers and small e-vans, vehicles that are better suited to narrow streets and low-traffic neighbourhoods. Cargo bikes are deliberately excluded, as their limited capacity is often insufficient for full grocery orders.

This pilot is a collaboration between supermarket chain Jumbo and the Municipality of Utrecht. The city is providing access to the Paardenveld parking garage in the centre, garage in the centregarage in the centre hub location, alongside a shared pool of cargo trailers and LEVs that companies can rent for testing. The set-up allows for secure storage of vehicles and avoids additional repositioning trips, improving both efficiency and safety.

“Order data from Jumbo has helped identify areas currently underserved due to access restrictions, called ‘delivery hotspots,” said a representative from Jumbo.

The hotspots are located in access-restricted areas, where hubs are most effective. Practical considerations such as parking availability, unloading space, and safe storage have also shaped the pilot’s design.

With Utrecht expanding car-free and low-traffic zones, the municipality sees the micro-hub approach as a glimpse into the future of urban logistics.

If successful, the pilot could offer a scalable solution to ensure reliable grocery deliveries for residents in hard-to-reach neighbourhoods without adding congestion or emissions to the city, but also beyond Utrecht.