Assessing Fuel Distribution in Urban Areas: Off‐Hours Deliveries in the City of Rio de Janeiro

This article analyzes impact that initiatives for improving freight system performance can generate in fuel distribution in urban areas, especially in mega‐cities. We propose a comprehensive methodology to identify initiatives with the most potential in terms of cost and efficiency for the fuel distribution process in urban areas, and then to assess impacts of such initiatives in terms of environmental and economic sustainability. Results indicated off‐hours deliveries as having a higher potential to increase sustainability in fuel distribution within city borders. Therefore, an application of the proposed methodology is presented to assess results of a live experiment of off‐hours deliveries held in a fuel‐distribution process in a mega‐city in comparison to daytime deliveries, which is companies’ standard practice. Several positive results were observed during off‐hour deliveries, such as reduction in fuel consumption, reduction in the emission of air pollutants and greenhouse gases, reduction in travel time, increase in average operational speed as well as the possibility of carrying out two trips with the same vehicle per day leading to a reduction in expenses with drivers when there is an increase in daily truck deliveries. Although the case assessed was conducted during the Olympic Games of Rio de Janeiro, the method can be applied in any other mega‐city.