UBCO x Domino’s - what makes food delivery work
It was home delivery that kept many restaurants afloat during the pandemic. With UBCO we have just scaled deployment with Domino's Pizza and have been learning what makes food delivery work. UBCO 2X2 bikes have seen work in forests, farms and cities, but food delivery can be a demanding duty - clocking 15 to 25 thousand kilometres per year and often having several riders per day. Winning in food delivery is an operational excellence game, and Domino's has been doing great work to learn from data and have built a solid framework. Drawing from lessons with restaurant delivery customers, we see a set of criteria most commonly used.
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Efficiency in deliveries. Often measured in the average delivery time per meal, deliveries per day, other metrics
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Cost-efficiency. Embracing the total cost of ownership (TCO) of a vehicle in two or three years perspective.
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Durability. A need to maximize vehicle uptime and minimize servicing costs (and control overall TCO)
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Safety. Taking measures to minimize possible rider accidents in the fleet.
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Sustainability. Overall fleet CO2 and reduction, also addressing noise in downtown areas.
As restaurants continue to ramp up their takeout and delivery capabilities, there are numbers of vehicle alternatives to consider. Each application brings specific requirements - related to city density and topography, infrastructure and traffic, rider community and even types of food that are delivered. Fleet providers can make a difference. The key is moving beyond the vehicle into designing a solution these businesses require.
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Learn and measure. Our work with Domino's started a couple of years ago with a few first bikes bought into several stores. Later we completed a detailed study to collect data, feedback and learn how they are being used every day. It was easier to scale later as UBCO 2X2 has already proven to be quicker compared to ebike and car alternatives.
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Control and reliability. Since the start, the 2X2 has shown higher uptime % and lower operating cost per km (fully burdened). Now we are further increasing control over TCO and uptime with telematics hardware and cloud-based Vehicle Management System. It allows tracking bike performance and mileage, and deliver predictive maintenance.
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Customer-centricity. Food delivery is demanding work and companies had challenges to recruit riders during the pandemic. Every vehicle is a critical tool and daily workspace for couriers - they expect it will be swift to start the bike, easy to park, and quick to swap the battery.
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Business partner. We aligned with corporate customers offering monthly subscription service - covering both vehicle and service costs.
Here's Cameron Toomey, General Manager at Domino's New Zealand on our partnership.