The new Amazon Flex station aims to speed up delivery times using individual contractors who deliver parcels using their own cars in a system described as ‘Uber for parcels’.

As well as the move away from couriers and delivery systems to individual contractors for the ‘last mile’ of the order process, the new Amazon Flex on the Gold Coast is also disrupting other freight trends.

In a step away from the traditional workplace makeup of many freight operations, the Gold Coast Amazon Flex operation has also opened with women accounting for almost 70 per cent of the workers on site and in the workplace.

Amazon Director of Operations, Craig Fuller, said Amazon Flex would supplement its delivery capacity and speed by offering individuals the opportunity to deliver Amazon packages to customers.

 “We are committed to improving delivery outcomes for customers and are proud to invest in the Gold Coast, creating faster delivery as well as local earning opportunities,” Fuller said.

“By growing our footprint, we are closer to our customers, making deliveries more efficient, as well as more sustainable.”

The Gold Coast is among only a few cities around the world to have designated freight plans.

These cities, including Stockholm in Sweden and the United States centres of Seattle and Portland, as well as the Gold Coast, have been working with industry to bring new innovations to freight delivery, including planning transport infrastructure to accommodate the changing nature of freight movement.

The freight industry is a key component of the Gold Coast’s transport system and contributes around $1.47 billion annually to the regional economy as well as around 6,000 local jobs.

Most local freight movement in the city is driven by medium and light commercial vehicles, with heavy vehicle movement less common, which is indicative of a growing global trend to segment the movement of freight as well as logistics and supply chain businesses.

As online shopping continues to grow, including online grocery shopping, more vehicles are delivering over short journeys, which is key to changing the way freight is moved.

Fuller said the Gold Coast’s support for the freight industry made it an ideal distribution point for Amazon’s Flex operation.

Amazon launched Flex in Australia last year and has around 2,000 contractors nationwide delivering for the service.

“The opening of our delivery station in the Gold Coast could not come at a better time, enabling us to speed up deliveries for customers as we head into the peak holiday season,” Fuller said.

“Building infrastructure closer to where our customers live enables us to deliver to them more efficiently, and with the arrival of the Arundel delivery station, people on the Gold Coast will soon see faster delivery promises on their orders.”