The Problem: Too Many Pickups, Not Enough Vans
When hundreds of people across the UK want us to pick up their old laptops, we need to be smart about planning routes. Just driving around randomly wastes fuel, wastes time, and pumps out unnecessary carbon.
Enter Donkey Swarm LQR
We built a routing system using something called Donkey Swarm LQR — a mathematical algorithm originally designed for coordinating swarms of autonomous vehicles. We've adapted it to plan our collection routes.
- It groups nearby pickups together so our drivers aren't zigzagging across cities.
- It factors in traffic, time windows, and load capacity to find the most efficient path.
- It reduced our fleet fuel usage by 14% in the first three months.
Why It Matters
We're a sustainability-focused social enterprise — so it'd be pretty hypocritical to pump out loads of CO2 just driving around collecting laptops. Donkey Swarm helps us practise what we preach.