NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. - Transit and online shopping might not seem connected but the organization that manages transit across Metro Vancouver believes the two can be wrapped together in a way that keeps parcels safe while enhancing the daily commute.
TransLink says smart lockers are coming to three SkyTrain stations along the Expo Line in Vancouver.
A statement from TransLink says PigeonBox has won the 2019 Open Call for Innovation on Customer Services and Amenities with its proposal for lockers that can receive and safely store customers' online purchases.
Beginning this spring, users can sign up through the PigeonBox website or app and can have deliveries sent to lockers at the Joyce-Collingwood, Stadium-Chinatown or Commercial-Broadway SkyTrain stations.
Customers can use the PigeonBox address as their mailing address and will be sent a smart locker number and access code when their item is delivered, allowing safe retrieval of packages that will no longer be left unguarded at a customer's front door.
TransLink says the initiative is a one-year pilot to test the demand for smart locker services on the transit system.
PigeonBox CEO Seunghwan Son said the company's goal is to make online delivery as seamless as possible and customers want expansion into transit stations.
"We've built our smart lockers for those who want to protect their online orders and pick up their packages with ease," Son said in the statement.
The Open Call platform allows for collaboration with industry leaders, innovators and others on solutions TransLink says will make Metro Vancouver more livable and address the region's transportation-related challenges.