Combatting Congestion: How Cities and Companies are Innovating First- and Last-Mile Transport

The report examines how cities are addressing urban congestion by optimizing the first and last mile of journeys. It highlights the role of public-private collaboration in deploying solutions such as autonomous water taxis in Amsterdam, AI-driven taxi management in Dubai, data-driven micromobility regulation in Stockholm, drone deliveries in the US, and inland waterways and cable cars in Varanasi. The document argues that a combination of sustainable logistics hubs, green technologies, and flexible regulatory frameworks is essential to reduce reliance on single-occupancy vehicles and lower urban emissions.

• Urban transport is a major driver of global emissions, with road-based transport accounting for approximately 75% of all transport emissions, and transport overall contributing about one-quarter of all energy-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
• Amsterdam has implemented the Roboat project, utilizing modular, zero-emission, autonomous boats for passenger transport, logistics, data collection, waste collection, and as flexible infrastructure like temporary bridges to reduce road traffic.
• Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) uses AI-powered Dynamic Heat Maps to optimize taxi distribution, resulting in a 17% increase in reservation efficiency and a 40% reduction in unproductive mileage.
• Stockholm utilized the Cityscope third-party platform to share data with e-scooter operators, enabling the city to enforce parking and speed regulations through geofencing and eventually implement operator caps and annual charges.
• In the US, Flytrex has piloted autonomous drone deliveries for food and groceries in North Carolina and Texas, reporting a 138% increase in its eligible customer base between 2021 and 2022.
• Varanasi is implementing a multi-modal terminal and inland waterway system on the Ganga River to shift freight and passengers from roads, alongside a 4-kilometre cable car ropeway system designed to carry 5,000 people per hour in both directions.

APA

World Economic Forum (2025). Combatting Congestion: How Cities and Companies are Innovating First- and Last-Mile Transport. https://reports.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Combatting_Congestion_2025.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. Combatting Congestion: How Cities and Companies are Innovating First- and Last-Mile Transport. 2025. https://reports.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Combatting_Congestion_2025.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=Combatting Congestion: How Cities and Companies are Innovating First- and Last-Mile Transport |date=March 2025 |url=https://reports.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Combatting_Congestion_2025.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2025combatting, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{Combatting Congestion: How Cities and Companies are Innovating First- and Last-Mile Transport}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2025}, month = mar, url = {https://reports.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Combatting_Congestion_2025.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }