Omniva has opened its first MicroHUB in Tallinn, a container-based depot intended to shorten courier routes and allow more parcel deliveries to be made by cargo bike rather than van.
The international technology and logistics group said the hub is a specially adapted container equipped with security systems and placed within a courier’s delivery area. Couriers can collect additional parcels during their rounds without making a lengthy return trip to a sorting centre. That change is expected to save time and help parcels reach customers faster, while supporting greener urban logistics, according to Omniva.
The company is using the hub to test a different operating model for last-mile deliveries. Instead of starting each replenishment journey from a central sorting site, couriers can restock locally and continue their rounds. Omniva said this would allow it to use more cargo bikes instead of vans for parcel deliveries. The arrangement is also intended to reduce van journeys in Tallinn.
Hannes Falten, head of delivery innovation at Omniva, said initial estimates suggest a MicroHUB could save each courier up to three hours a day and allow them to serve around 20 additional customers. He described the concept as an opportunity to handle growing parcel volumes without putting more vans on city streets. The company wants to move towards smarter logistics with a smaller environmental footprint, Falten said.
The first results, expected within a month, will help determine the next steps. In the next phase, the company plans to test parcel collection from the MicroHUB with Crowd Delivery couriers. If the pilot is successful, Omniva plans to introduce more MicroHUBs in Tallinn and a similar solution in Riga, Vilnius and Kaunas.
The Tallinn hub also has a visible public-facing element. Its exterior was painted by street artist S-Boy’s team, a move Omniva said would bring more colour and character to the neighbourhood and give passers-by something worth stopping to look at.
The pilot is designed to show whether local replenishment can reduce the time couriers spend travelling to sorting centres and whether cargo bikes can take on a larger share of deliveries. Those outcomes are not yet established. Omniva’s estimates are initial and will be tested during the pilot. Until those results are available, the time savings and additional customer capacity remain estimates rather than confirmed outcomes.
The Urban Logistics event at ExCeL London on 9-10 June 2027 is scheduled to explore autonomous delivery, last-mile infrastructure and the challenges of moving goods through cities.