Cargo Bikes for Sustainable City Logistics Systems: Optimizing Distribution Routes in a Dynamic Environment

Climate change has a long-term impact on the quality of life for the global population, leading to an increased priority and political decisions in the field of climate protection and environmental conservation. To protect the climate, measures for sustainable development and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions are necessary. Logistics can contribute to reducing CO2 emissions and promoting climate protection, especially in densely populated cities and megacities. The use of cargo bicycles is becoming an increasingly attractive method of freight delivery, especially in urban areas. A cargo bicycle serves as an environmentally friendly alternative to cars when delivering small cargo shipments to a large number of customers. The study formalizes the task of forming delivery routes for small cargo shipments in the city under dynamic environmental conditions, characterized by uncertainty factors (stochastic demand for products, random number of customers and their locations, random assignment and quantity of vehicles to supermarkets) and the risk of unavailability of the required quantity of products at the nearest loading point. A simulation model of the process of forming delivery routes for small cargo shipments to a large number of customers has been developed. The study compared various route formation technologies for servicing small customers of goods and demonstrated the feasibility of using cargo bicycles for freight delivery in the city.