The final leg of a journey moving passengers or goods from a transportation hub to the final destination, disproportionately expensive and inefficient relative to the line haul portion. The term was borrowed from telecommunications, where connecting individual homes to the main network posed the analogous difficulty.
Facts
Core ConcernThe outsized cost and inefficiency of the final delivery leg 1 FAQs
Why is the last mile of a delivery journey often the most expensive part?
Because the final leg from a transport hub to the final destination is disproportionately expensive and inefficient compared to the long haul portion.
The last mile is the final leg of a journey moving passengers or goods from a transportation hub to the final destination. It is disproportionately expensive and inefficient relative to the line haul portion. The term was borrowed from telecommunications, where connecting individual homes to the main network posed the same kind of difficulty.
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Last Mile (Transportation)
WikipediaUsage in distribution networks
This last leg of the supply chain is often less efficient, comprising up to 53% of the total cost to move goods.
History
'Last mile' was originally used in the telecommunications industry to describe the difficulty of connecting end users' homes and businesses to the main telecommunication network.
Part Of: Urban Transit, Usage in transportation networks section
"Last mile" also describes the difficulty in getting people from a transportation hub, especially railway stations, bus depots, and ferry berths, to their final destination.
View the Source Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.