The Millennials' Transport by Gloria Martí

THE MILLENNIALS’ TRANSPORT

It all started with the successful model of people transport; and now instead of passengers, merchandises are the transported protagonist. So, let's talk about collaborative transport.

Nowadays, this concept hasn’t get a precise definition yet, but in my opinion this type of undertaking is based on the idea of sharing, exchange or rent products and/or services through technological platforms which regulate transactions.

They offer better prices and more transparent conditions. This allows anyone to find what they need, at any time and anywhere.

The collaborative economy is revolutionising the way consumers used assets and services.

Indeed, it is no longer about having, but about sharing.

We can find several examples of companies that have been successful with this new concept of market. Regarding to transport, we can find:

• Uber: the app which has put up the transport of travellers.
• BLABLACAR: transport of people, sharing trips by car.
• Carpooling: allows you to find traveler partners with their own car and share expenses.
• Train sharing (AVE): a platform that puts AVE users in contact to create groups of 3 or 4 people who have to take the same train and, thus, be able to opt for better rates.
• Parquo: people rent to others their parking place during the hours which they are not using it.
• Etc.

To conclude, some earn extra money and others save.

Let's focus on transportation for home delivery, for which there are already several platforms in our country – such as Toma&go, Glovo and Let’s GOI- which allow users deliver or receive a product (anyone) without having to use messenger service’s companies- like wise MRW, Seur or the most traditional one: Correos.

So, now we are going to study a company concretely, which is Glovo. This company makes urban deliveries of all kind of commodities. For instance, food and package is the most transported.

Glovo has signed agreements with companies in order to take care of their home services and messengers are autonomous.

The platform – which one has already made 200,000 orders in its year and a half of activity - charges for each shipment a commission of between the 10% and the 40% to users; which, for example, regarding to food, it usually has an average cost of between 2 and 4.30 euros.

The majority of shipments of Glovo are services that include transportation and even the purchase, by order, of the product.

However, this model of shipments has aroused the suspicions of many transport companies, since they believe that some platforms violate the Law. And, as a buckler argument, collaborative companies argue that they only intervene in an innovative and legal way.

In my opinion, this new transport has greatly facilitated the exchange of products, services, etc between several people, who simply want one thing in particular, at that specific moment and for an economic price. That’s to say, without the need of hiring a specialist transportation company, for just a simple whim or need that has occurred at that time. Therefore, instead of connecting companies with customers, they connect people with people.

And, in conclusion, the rise of collaborative transportation is a change in consumption promoted by millennials.