Mapbox Launches Doorway-Level Data to Solve Last-Mile ‘Final Meters’ Problem

Mapbox, the location data platform, has announced the public preview launch of a new doorway-level entrance data capability. The feature is designed to guide drivers to specific building entrances rather than generic street addresses, addressing a critical inefficiency in the delivery, logistics, and ride-hailing sectors.

The new data layer covers more than 100 million addresses in the United States, enabling routing accuracy to within five meters or less of a specific entry point.

Addressing the ‘Final Meters’ Cost Drain

The launch targets the "final meters" problem—a significant source of operational waste in last-mile logistics. According to Mapbox analysis, nearly 70% of failed deliveries in the last 100 meters of a trip occur during the final 10 meters.

Furthermore, citing McKinsey research, Mapbox notes that inefficient drop-off locations can account for up to 19% of logistics costs. These costs stem from:

Driver dwell time (searching for entrances).
Lost packages.
Missed pickups and redeliveries.
Increased customer support requests.

Cherie Wong, SVP of Location Services at Mapbox, commented: "Instead of ending navigation with just 'you have arrived,' companies can guide drivers to the right spot—the door that actually matters."

Operational Impact: Early Results

dlivrd, a delivery management solution, has been utilising the technology with measurable success. Chris Heffernan, CEO at dlivrd, reported tangible efficiency gains:

"Entrance data has saved our drivers time. They spend less time searching and more time setting up. Delivery times are down 7%, support questions are resolved 25% faster—and many never reach us at all."

Technical Implementation for Developers

The new capability is integrated directly into the Mapbox Geocoding API via a new entrances parameter. When developers convert an address into geographic coordinates, the API returns precise building entrance locations.

This allows navigation apps to:

Power turn-by-turn guidance that accounts for which side of a building to approach.
Indicate exactly where to stop.
Visualise entrance locations on the map interface to assist drivers in complex urban environments or large corporate campuses.