Advancing Urban Co-Modality with Drone Delivery Services
Co-modality in transportation refers to the shared use of infrastructure between freight and passenger systems. While common in air and rail, its use in urban logistics and public transit is limited. This project proposes integrating drone-based last-mile delivery with public transit using fixed-route buses as mobile hubs. Drones would launch from and land on moving buses to enhance delivery flexibility and generate extra revenue for transit operators without raising operational costs. The research is divided into three thrusts: Thrust I assesses the business feasibility of urban co-modality by analyzing trade-offs between transit operators and last-mile logistics carriers. Thrust II examines the cost-effectiveness and reliability of drone delivery using performance modeling and simulations. Thrust III explores the integration between drone delivery and transit service based on the demand settings and drone configuration results from previous thrusts. The project will produce system design models and simulation tools for drone performance that apply to real-world scenarios.
Language
- English
Project
- Status: Active
- Funding: $154,545.00
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Contract Numbers:
69A3552348338
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Sponsor Organizations:
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology
University Transportation Centers Program
Department of Transportation
Washington, DC United States 20590 -
Managing Organizations:
Center for Freight Transportation for Efficient and Resilient Supply Chain
University of Tennessee Knoxville
Knoxville, TN United States 37996 -
Project Managers:
Bruner, Britain
Kaplan, Marcella
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Performing Organizations:
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Center for Transportation Research
Conference Center Building
Knoxville, TN United States 37996-4133 -
Principal Investigators:
Zheng, Hongyu
Kaplan, Marcella
- Start Date: 20250901
- Expected Completion Date: 20260831
- Actual Completion Date: 0
- USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers Program
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Buses; Drones; First mile and last mile; Freight and passenger services; Multimodal transportation; Urban areas
- Subject Areas: Freight Transportation; Operations and Traffic Management; Planning and Forecasting;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01984335
- Record Type: Research project
- Source Agency: Center for Freight Transportation for Efficient and Resilient Supply Chain
- Contract Numbers: 69A3552348338
- Files: UTC, RIP
- Created Date: Mar 25 2026 4:53PM