How DC's Cracking Down on Porch Pirates
CA kills hidden fees, INRIX Smart Delivery Suite, restaurateurs should taste test
Happy Friday to everyone except ye dastardly porch pirates! While the DC police are hot on their tails, (sterns? afts?) we’ve also got some big news on hidden fees, data on how restaurateurs can improve ops, and a chit chat with an INRIX big wig.
This week’s edition is brought to you by Yoshi Mobility.
Today:
Porch Pirates Not Welcome in DC
Hidden Fees Not Welcome in CA
Chart Time | Tasting Testing Good, News at 11
The Inside Scoop on INRIX’s Smart Delivery Suite
POLICY | DC Cracks Down on Porch Pirates
Nothing’s more temporarily annoying than getting a notification that your food order or ecommerce package has been delivered, but when you return home expecting it at your front steps… it’s gone! While “porch piracy” is a minor nuisance in the scheme of things, Washington D.C. is nonetheless taking action, working with residents to plant decoy boxes, larded up with tracking electronics, on their porches. Once the box has been nabbed, Metropolitan PD swoops in and arrest the no-goodnik. Since porch piracy is often conducted by collaborators and/or repeat offenders, catching one heist often means saving many packages. For online shoppers of a more proactive bent, the PD also hosts Amazon Lockers at many local stations.
The Big Picture: Firm numbers on porch piracy are hard to come by. 2019 research by the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Center of Excellence for Sustainable Urban Freight Systems estimated 1.7 million packages are stolen or lost daily. New York City thinks its residents alone lose 90,000 boxes a day, an impetus for its LockerNYC secure delivery program. Consumer surveys show that one in four respondents report having a package stolen in the past quarter. Whatever the exact number is, now that crime rates are falling in most major cities, it looks like the cops have more time to defend your DoorDash…
PARTNER | Virtual Vehicle Inspections Are Changing the Game
Getting a car inspection can be a hassle. What if it could be done in minutes and virtually?
Originally designed for rideshare & carshare partners, Yoshi Mobility has expanded its service to meet a broader demand for DOT inspections among fleet operators. Fast, hassle-free inspections for maximum convenience. Click here to simplify your inspection process going forward.
POLICY | Price Transparency Law Goes Live July 1st
A new price transparency law goes live in California on July 1st, and it will make take a big bite out of hidden fees. “The law is simple: the price you see is the price you pay,” said state AG Rob Bonta, noting that while the law doesn’t impact the prices businesses can charge, it does require that any surcharges, transaction fees, or other mandatory upcharges be included in an advertised price. Of particular interest to lawmakers are “event tickets, hotels and other lodging, restaurants, and food delivery.”
The Big Picture: A handy FAQ lays out some exceptions that will be of great interest to readers. For example, advertised prices do not need to include sales tax or “reasonable shipping costs for physical goods.” And with regard to food delivery, the state notes “Food delivery platforms are subject to special requirements under Business and Professions Code section 22598 et seq. when they list the prices charged by a restaurant from which they deliver food, and this law does not change those requirements. But when the food delivery platform advertises the price of the delivery service that it provides, it must advertise the full, all-in price of the delivery service.” Additionally, “fees for the delivery of food ordered directly from a restaurant do not need to be included in the advertised price of the food or other items ordered because those fees are for the separate service of delivery. The price of delivery must be the full, all-in price of the delivery service.”
CHART TIME | The Importance of Optimizing for Delivery
New findings from DoorDash and Technomic highlight the simple ways restaurant operators can optimize their menus and operations for delivery. Did you know that the 50% of operators who have taste-tested their delivery food quality report a very positive impact on delivery orders? (Gotta wonder about that other 50%, hmm…) While some of these findings make total sense — think about what’s highlighted on your menu, add photos, etc — we’re gonna take issue with the recommendation around purchasing less expensive ingredients. Race to the bottom, anyone?
INTERVIEW | INRIX Moves into Smart Deliveries
INRIX has long garnered headlines for its annual Global Traffic Scorecard, racking up attention (and occasional urbanist grumblings) for its rankings of congestion in various megaregions. So when the 20 year old firm announced the Smart Delivery Suite a few months back, it marked an interesting inflection point, as the company moves from people movement, to goods movement. INRIX’s Mike Cottle, SVP of Enterprise and Automotive Sales, shared more about the new tool. (Originally published at The Curbivore.)
Let’s start with the basics, what’s the INRIX Smart Delivery Suite?
The INRIX Smart Delivery Suite is a set of cloud-based applications designed to help businesses effortlessly outsmart traffic, optimize delivery schedules, and provide spot-on ETAs. Whether you’re a rideshare company or last-mile delivery service, the INRIX Smart Delivery Suite provides a comprehensive set of tools to ensure deliveries aren’t just on time, but also optimized, safe, and reliable from start to finish.
How does it differ from, or perhaps expand on, some of INRIX’s earlier offerings?
INRIX has always been about providing drivers and software platforms with relevant information about what’s on the road. We pioneered the use of connected car data to inform drivers and navigation systems about traffic and incidents. While we have historically offered each dataset of the Smart Delivery Suite separately (i.e. parking, incidents, real-time traffic) to solve specific, siloed use-cases, we saw that many of our customers could benefit from the whole suite of products that we offered. The Smart Delivery Suite is more than just a set of APIs; it’s a comprehensive suite of solutions built to reshape how deliveries are managed for businesses where every second counts.
INRIX has been known for mobility and people movement related data solutions, why push into goods movement?
Our focus has been on the movement of ALL vehicles – both passenger and commercial – although delivery services are somewhat new to INRIX. For example, traffic congestion and insufficient stopping distance are major causes of large truck crashes. Integration of INRIX Dangerous Slowdowns and Incident data into Drivewyze’s road safety notification system enables accurate, proactive alerts to be pushed to drivers who are at risk of encountering a slowdown or queue.
What would you say the Smart Delivery Suite does uniquely, that isn’t otherwise being offered on the market?
A Few Good Links
Gopuff smoked $400M in cash last year. Why restaurateurs have been slow to embrace robotics. Potbelly univels smaller, digital-focused layout. More on McDonald’s plus Krispy Kreme. Maybe that partnership is coming just in time, since the donut maker swung to a loss in Q1. Papa Johns net income falls. Walmart’s media platform teams up with Disney Advertising. What’s a used e-truck worth? Vinfast launches Sony in-car entertainment system. Air taxis will require new cooperation. Weather issues delay FedEx Express. Automakers score extra time to comply with new domestic sourcing laws. Grocery inflation worst in Houston. Fatburger chairman sued by SEC. UML merges into LACI, will advance CCIC, TTIZ, TEP, ZED, CEP, LA28 and LMNOPQRSTUV. What happens when Chicago loses its Greyhound station? Travis K reveals a bit of the mystery at Food on Demand.
Got a tip, feedback, or just want to say hi? Reply back to this email.