Samenvatting

Service trips are an essential yet often overlooked component of commercial urban traffic, unlike parcel delivery, for example, which has received increased attention with the e-commerce boom. Service trips are performed by technicians and maintenance workers who install, repair, and maintain essential systems in homes and businesses. These professionals rely heavily on diesel vans to transport their tools and equipment across the city and increasingly face difficulties navigating congested streets and finding available parking. In many cities, curbside space has become a scarce commodity, competing with passenger, freight, and public uses. Ironically, this type of traffic is also among the most demanding of curbside space. A study conducted in New York State illustrates this issue: although service vehicles represent about 25% of total commercial traffic, they can account for up to 78% of total parking demand, expressed in vehicle hours occupied. This imbalance stems from the long durations typical of service visits, with approx. 50% lasting more than one hour (Holguín-Veras et al., 2021). These findings underscore that service logistics place a significant burden on scarce urban parking supply. In addition to growing parking demand, cities are also striving to reduce the environmental impacts of transport. Fleet electrification is an important step toward decarbonisation, but it alone cannot address the challenges posed by service logistics. Transport demand management (TDM) strategies—traditionally applied to passenger transport—offer a complementary pathway. TDM promotes a more efficient use of urban space through measures such as the use of alternative modes (Meyer, 1999). The paper's objective is to present insights from two pilots that aim to shift service trips from conventional vans to light electric vehicles (LEVs). These pilots were conducted in Amsterdam and Mechelen, as part of the Interreg North Sea project MoLo Hubs, which explores how logistics functions can be integrated into urban mobility hubs. Both cities tested innovative approaches to help service providers adopt more sustainable travel modes, demonstrating how hubs can act as catalysts for operational and behavioural change in urban service logistics.