Route optimization solutions save courier firms up to three hours per day
Saves delivery drivers one hour a day with the help of Navigation SDK
Expands to more than 180 countries thanks to the global reach of Google Maps Platform
Supported more than 1 billion deliveries in 2024 alone
Circuit, a UK-based last-mile management solution, used Google Maps Platform to build a comprehensive solution to benefit couriers, drivers, and recipients.
Circuit, a UK-based last-mile management solution, used Google Maps Platform to build a comprehensive solution to benefit couriers, drivers, and recipients.
Being a delivery driver can be challenging. Routes are long, roads are congested, and customer expectations are high. What’s more, the majority of drivers are paid per delivery, meaning they receive the same pay however long it takes. Drivers often use route planning technology to help them deliver packages quickly, but it can be clunky and outdated, a patchwork of systems that require the driver to switch between multiple apps to complete their rounds. This can slow drivers down, meaning they get paid less money for the hours they work.
That’s the challenge Circuit CEO Jack Underwood set out to solve when he co-founded the company in 2018. The company’s first product, Circuit Route Planner, was aimed specifically at improving delivery drivers’ routes. Circuit then launched its solution for modern courier companies, Circuit for Teams, in 2020, with the aim to make last-mile delivery faster, easier, and less stressful for all. In 2024 alone, Circuit supported over a billion deliveries worldwide.
When first developing Circuit, Underwood realized that to work effectively, it needed to identify delivery locations with pinpoint accuracy. “When you're a delivery driver and you're doing 120 deliveries per day, you need to be told the exact location of the property,” Underwood explains. “We also need that information for route optimization. Without that level of accuracy, you can’t create an optimized route for that driver. We soon realized there was a stark difference between the mapping data quality of Google Maps Platform and the alternative map providers. That made our decision for us. If we needed rooftop-level data, we had to go with Google Maps Platform. There was no alternative.”
Circuit’s decision to implement Google Maps Platform Mobility services was made even simpler by its ease-of-use, with drivers already familiar with the interface from their personal lives. Circuit implemented Mobility services into its route planner from the outset. Today, the platform’s global reach has helped the UK-based app gain users in more than 180 countries worldwide.
We soon realized there was a stark difference between the mapping data quality of Google Maps Platform and the alternative map providers. That made our decision for us. If we needed rooftop-level data, we had to go with Google Maps Platform. There was no alternative.
Jack Underwood
Co-founder and CEO, Circuit
Saving delivery drivers an hour per day with the Navigation SDK
Now, delivery drivers can use the familiar Google Maps interface in the Circuit app to understand precisely where they are and where they’re going. Google Maps Platform’s 100 million daily mapping updates ensure drivers always have an accurate picture of their whereabouts.
We recently had feedback that Circuit, with the help of Google Maps Platform Mobility services, is saving drivers up to 40 miles on a single route. Whether it’s distance, time, or both, the value for drivers is very clear.
Megan Murphy
VP of Product, Circuit for Teams
Circuit’s implementation of the Navigation SDK, also means drivers can navigate to each stop on their route without having to leave the Circuit app. “With the Navigation SDK, drivers get turn-by-turn directions, lane guidance, and real-time traffic updates,” says Megan Murphy, VP of Product for Circuit for Teams. “They can see upcoming stops on their route and they no longer have to bounce back and forth between apps, meaning they save time and battery power.”
With Circuit Route Planner, delivery drivers save an average of an hour per day completing their delivery rounds, meaning they earn more money per hour. “By saving drivers an hour of deliveries, Circuit is giving them time back in their day,” says Murphy.
“We recently had feedback that Circuit, with the help of Google Maps Platform Mobility services, is saving drivers up to 40 miles on a single route. Whether it’s distance, time, or both, the value for drivers is very clear.”
Giving courier companies a ready-made last-mile management solution
Next, Circuit set out to provide value for the rest of the last-mile delivery chain, namely courier companies and delivery recipients, with the launch of Circuit for Teams. “The challenge for courier companies is that there’s a more complex system than ever, with more buyers, sellers, and drivers, but very little infrastructure growth to support the growing demands on the roads,” explains Murphy. “It requires not just operational excellence in the physical world, but the right technology to make sure each part of the delivery process operates effectively.”
With the help of Google Maps Platform Mobility services, Circuit for Teams allows couriers to plan, optimize, and assign delivery routes at scale to enable highly efficient last-mile delivery operations. Previously, courier companies lacked the all-in-one solution to manage these operations, leading them to try to integrate Mobility services themselves to try and build their own systems in house.
Often, small and medium courier companies lacked the developer know-how to build effective systems, leading to patchwork solutions that didn’t provide the efficiency or ease-of-use they required. Now, with Circuit for Teams, courier companies have a ready-made solution that gives them the best of Google Maps Platform, without having to integrate the SDKs themselves, freeing them to focus on what they do best: managing deliveries.
Saving courier firms three hours per day with efficient route management
One of the first problems Circuit solves for courier companies is resolving incorrect addresses. “Couriers run on really thin margins, so any unsuccessful delivery eats into that,” Murphy explains. “It's estimated that if a driver is given a wrong address, there's an almost 40 percent chance the delivery will fail, so catching that as early as possible is really important. We rely heavily on the Autocomplete functionality of the Places API and the Geocoding API from Google Maps Platform to do that.”
It's estimated that if a driver is given a wrong address, there's an almost 40 percent chance the delivery will fail, so catching that as early as possible is really important. We rely heavily on the Autocomplete functionality of the Places API and the Geocoding API from Google Maps Platform to do that.
Megan Murphy
VP of Product, Circuit for Teams
Addresses can be entered into Circuit in various ways, but however it’s done, the app calls the Autocomplete function of Google Maps Platform, part of the Places API, to validate whether that address exists. If the address is ambiguous, incomplete, or incorrect, Autocomplete will help correct it. Similarly, the Geocoding API helps to verify if an address is valid and deliverable, and to standardize various address formats in a consistent and accurate way. These features help Circuit for Teams ensure the courier company has accurate addresses to allow drivers to deliver successfully.
Courier companies also use Circuit for Teams to plan and manage the most efficient routes for multiple drivers, using Google Maps Platform to visualize all those routes on the map. Using Circuit and Google Maps Platform in this way saves courier firms an average of three hours a day.
Courier companies can also track all their drivers on the map as they make their deliveries, ensuring that deliveries are proceeding as planned, and enabling them to reach out to drivers in the event of an unexpected delay. In one highly unusual case, one courier firm was even able to contact and track an unresponsive driver and provide life-saving aid during an emergency.
A firm foundation for more efficient deliveries for all
When it comes to the consumer waiting for their parcel, courier companies can use Circuit for Teams and Google Maps Platform Mobility services to give them an accurate estimated delivery time so they know when to be at home. Circuit is now also implementing the Routes API to enable couriers to factor in live traffic for the entire route, giving recipients further along the route even more accurate estimated delivery times. Recipients can also use Circuit for Teams to track their driver’s progress in real time with Google Maps, helping them understand with even greater clarity when their parcel will arrive.
As Circuit grows, it continues to explore new ways to use Google Maps Platform Mobility services to improve the last-mile delivery experience for courier firms and drivers alike, including further improving address accuracy and allowing couriers to analyze and assign the more complex routes to their most capable drivers. At the same time, Circuit is turning its attention to helping courier firms improve other areas of their business, such as managing costs and cash flow and helping them find growth opportunities.
As Murphy explains, none of this growth would be possible without the firm foundation that Circuit has built with Google Maps Platform. “Working with Google Maps Platform Mobility services has given us the opportunity to build a world-class driver product and an entire last-mile management solution around that. We couldn’t have achieved this with other maps platforms. The level of success we have enjoyed so far is dependent on the quality, reliability, and breadth of functionality of Google Maps Platform.”
We couldn’t have achieved this with other maps platforms. The level of success we have enjoyed so far is dependent on the quality, reliability, and breadth of functionality of Google Maps Platform.
Megan Murphy
VP of Product, Circuit for Teams
Circuit builds last-mile delivery with route planning software and apps designed for everyone involved. Its mission is to support the world’s transition to online shopping by making last-mile delivery faster, easier, and less stressful for all. Saving both time and money.
Industry: Technology, Transport
Location: United Kingdom
Products: Google Cloud, Google Maps Platform, Navigation SDK, Places API, Routes API
