Cityporto is the urban distribution service with low environmental impact, designed and managed by Interporto Padova
Cityporto uses low impact emission vehicles (CNG-fuelled or electric vehicles), and brings together the deliveries from different operators, thus reducing the traffic of goods freight vehicles in urban areas
Cityporto has become a benchmark at European level
Cityporto is the urban distribution service with low environmental impact, designed and managed by Interporto Padova since 2004, thanks to a programme agreement with local public authorities (Municipality, Province, and Chamber of Commerce of Padua).
Cityporto uses low impact emission vehicles (CNG-fuelled or electric vehicles), and brings together the deliveries from different operators, thus reducing the traffic of goods freight vehicles in urban areas.
The involvement to the service for couriers and hauliers is on a voluntary basis: to date there are more than 50 operators using the service, finding it more advantageous than self-delivery. Cityporto has become a benchmark at European level: it rationalizes the urban logistics, reduces the number of freight vehicles entering the city, makes the deliveries easier for the operators, and guarantees them a high quality of service without increasing costs.
At the same time, it reduces the pollutant emissions and urban congestion, with a benefit for the entire city.
More than 50 operators
using the service, finding it more advantageous than self-delivery.
reduces the number of freight vehicles entering the city
Cityporto reduces the number of freight vehicles entering the city.
High quality
Cityporto semplifica la consegna agli operatori e garantisce loro una alta qualità del servizio senza un aumento dei costi.
reduces the pollutant emissions
reduces the pollutant emissions and urban congestion, with a benefit for the entire city.
The Cityporto model: how it works
Operators, mainly couriers, deliver their goods to the dedicated logistics platform, a fully equipped warehouse of Interporto Padova, in Corso Stati Uniti, close to the city.
From this platform, twice a day, in the morning and in the afternoon, environmentally-friendly CNG-fuelled and electric vehicles leave for distribution in the city centre, the so-called last mile of the transport chain. The system exploits the skills and potential of Interporto Padova in the field of intermodal logistics.
The vehicles used for the service have the possibility of using the dedicated lanes and have free access and parking within the limited traffic zone (ZTL), 24/7.
It is a service dedicated to third-party freight operators in the city, but it is also accessible to own-account transport operators, and for the delivery of fresh food.
Cityporto has been operating in Padua since 21 April 2004, and today, thanks to an agreement with the local municipality, it also provides the service in the city of Abano Terme, which borders Padua.
It is one of the few experiences of this type successfully operating in Italy. This model has been taken as an example by many other Italian cities, and has been studied for years by several foreign delegations.
Aiming to spread and share the best practices Interporto Padova makes available its own management software dedicated to those who would like to develop this activity.
The success of Cityporto ensured by the following features
The environmental benefits produced by Cityporto
Cityporto of Padua was the subject of a study within the framework of a national project that measured some of the environmental benefits calculated from the start-up period, from 2005 to 2019.
During that time, 1,120K deliveries were made in the city.
Each Cityporto van, by optimising the loading of the vehicle and rationalising the route, does the same work as 10 vans of individual operators.
The rationalisation of deliveries has resulted in saving approximately 5M km.
In terms of emissions, this saving amounts to 1,891 tons of CO2, and 442kg of PM10 fine dust (which is normally measured in micrograms, i.e. one millionth of a gram).