'Surge in e-commerce fuels sales of mini delivery van in Thane'

THANE: Mini delivery van registrations in 2021-22 in Thane and the neighbouring logistics hub of Bhiwandi have been the highest in the last seven years, show transport department records.
According to industry players, the emphasis on online purchases during the Covid-19 pandemic-induced lockdown and competition among traders for prompt doorstep delivery are likely to have fuelled the market for mini delivery vans as they are easy to manoeuvre in congested, narrow lanes.
Records available with the Thane transport department show that nearly 5,934 three- and four-wheeler delivery vans were registered in 2021-22 in Thane, which comprises Thane city, Bhiwandi and Shahapur. The number is nearly two times the volume of these vehicles that hit the roads here in the year before. (see graphic)
The industry has realised the importance of these smaller vans over the last two years when people were forced to shop online. Not just prominent chains of malls and marts, the trend of fast delivery has caught on with a few small-time traders too, said an expert.
Jayant Patil, deputy regional transport officer at Thane, said it is evident that the surge for online deliveries has attracted more businesses and suppliers to purchase their own vehicles. "The demand flourished during the lockdown and even later when many people preferred to not step out for purchases and instead relied on home deliveries," he said.
Traders said no one was willing to risk losing customers due to late deliveries. "The trend for prompt delivery has led to the entry of smaller vans... These mini vans can exhaust their deliveries at several locations faster and return to the godown for refilling, while a conventional tempo would take several hours to deliver goods," said Vijay Yadav, district president of the Thane Vahatuk Seva Sangh, a conglomeration of nearly 4,500 transporters.