Philadelphia’s Smart Loading Zones pilot set out to make commercial loading safer and more orderly by managing curb space digitally. The six-month trial began on October 17, 2022, in Center City, where the City designated existing loading spaces for the project. Drivers could use the Pebble Driver app to find and reserve spaces, while fleet managers registered vehicles and payment details through a separate platform.25
The pilot combined digital curb rules with booking and payment software, an enforcement app, and vehicle-detection technology at selected locations. The City also tested the Curb Data Specification, a standard developed by the Open Mobility Foundation to represent curb regulations in a format that digital services can use.24 The project aimed to provide delivery drivers with a reliable way to use curb space, manage rising loading activity, and reduce unsafe or illegal parking.1
The City worked with the Office of Transportation, Infrastructure, and Sustainability, the Philadelphia Parking Authority, the Open Mobility Foundation, and Sidewalk Labs, which supplied the software and supported deployment.13 The pilot concluded on April 14, 2023, and drivers were no longer required to use the app to reserve spaces after that date.1
The City’s evaluation, released in January 2025, found that bookings and enforcement scans captured only about 2% of curb activity, while app adoption was approximately 1.97%.4 These findings point to limits in how well the pilot’s digital tools represented activity at the curb. The City published the evaluation report and supporting data materials.46