'Spike in online shopping, prompt deliveries fuels sale of mini delivery vans in Thane

May 30, 2022

THANE: The last fiscal saw the highest registration of mini delivery vans compared to the last seven years in Thane and neighbouring logistics hub of Bhiwandi, transport records reveal.

Experts said the emphasis on online purchases during lockdown and competition among traders for prompt, doorstep delivery during is likely to have fuelled the market for these mini delivery vans which are now popular in many urban pockets of the metropolitan region. Industry players said distributors and online portals are fast opting for these small vehicles for intra-city deliveries as they seem to be viable to reach out to customers fast and also are easy to maneouver in the congested lanes.

Records available with the Thane transport department shows that nearly 5934 three and four wheeler delivery vans was registered last fiscal 2021-22 in the Thane one that comprises Thane city, Bhiwandi, Shahapur. The number is nearly two times the volume of these vehicles that hit the roads here in the year before.

The industry has realised the importance of these smaller vans over the last two years when customers were forced to shop online and slowly they started preferring those who delievered products fastest. Not just prominent chain of malls, marts, the trend of fast delivery has caught on with few small time traders also which fuelled the market for these vans, observed an expert.

Jayant Patil, deputy regional transport officer at Thane said their area includes Bhiwandi which is a logistics hub for the entire of Mumbai metropolitan region and it is evident that the surge for online deliveries might have attracted more businesses and suppliers to purchase their own vehicles. “The demand flourished especially during the lockdown and even later when majority preferred to not step out for purchases and instead rely on home deliveries leading to a surge in demand for these vehicles,” he hinted.

Industry players said not just the surge in requirement for doorstep deliveries but also prompt delivery to customers led traders to opt for smaller vans. Traders said that customers were wary of delayed deliveries and no one was willing to risk losing customers due to late product deliveries.

“The trend for fast deliveries has led to entry of smaller vans that can service customers faster. The impetus is of prompt delivery and instead of deploying one truck it makes viable for them to deploy smaller vehicles and deliver to several locations. These vans can exhaust their deliveries faster and can reach the godown for refilling as compared to a conventional tempo that would take several hours to deliver the goods,” explained Vijay Yadav, district president of Thane Vahatuk Seva Sangh, a conglomeration of nearly 4500 transporters.

Another transporter says the lack of adequate road space in the metropolitan cities is one advantage for these small vans as they can quickly wade through narrow lanes compared to bulky tempos. “Big delivery vehicles are providing unviable to cater to micro deliveries and with increasing traffic within cities there are several restrictions also imposed by the authorities which is a deterrant,” says the transporter.

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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