Maribor

General information

Maribor is the second-largest city in Slovenia with approximately 113,000 inhabitants and the largest city of the Podravje region. It is the seat of the Urban Municipality of Maribor and the Drava statistical region. Maribor is also the economic, administrative, educational, and cultural centre of eastern Slovenia. It has good transport connections and capacities (TEN-T corridors Baltic Sea – Adriatic Sea, Mediterranean, Western Balkans – Eastern Mediterranean). Maribor has its own university with 17 faculties and app. 15.000 students. 98% of local companies are SMEs. Pilot action of Maribor focuses on the historic city centre, where a pedestrian zone includes narrow streets, dense commercial activity, restaurants, and residential functions. Access conditions for vehicles were significantly tightened in April 2024, when a new municipal traffic regulation restricted motorised deliveries in the pedestrian zone after 10:00 a.m., allowing only non-motorised and zero-emission delivery vehicles. Within the GRETA project framework, the Municipality of Maribor launched a pilot to introduce a Micro Urban Consolidation Centre (or shortly Micro-hub) at the edge of the pedestrian zone. Micro-hub is designed to serve as a logistics hub where goods can be consolidated and transferred to environmentally friendly delivery modes such as cargo bikes and hand trolleys, enabling flexible and low-emission last-mile deliveries beyond limited delivery time windows.

Problem addressed and implemented solution

Deliveries in Maribor’s historic centre have long been constrained by short morning delivery windows, forcing many suppliers to operate simultaneously, which creates congestion and conflicts with pedestrians. Restaurants, shops, and residents frequently require multiple deliveries during the day, but vehicle restrictions and limited storage capacity in the old town make logistics inefficient. Previously, many fragmented deliveries were also performed using private vehicles, leading to poor vehicle utilisation and additional traffic pressure.

To address these issues, the pilot introduces the Micro-hub concept as an alternative logistics solution supporting consolidation, short-term storage, and last-mile distribution using zero-emission vehicles (such as hand-trolleys). The facility will enable deliveries throughout the day using cargo bikes, trolleys and other light vehicles, reducing dependence on motorised vans within the pedestrian zone. The solution is being developed in cooperation with stakeholders through the reactivated Freight Quality Partnership, ensuring that business models, services, and infrastructure respond to local needs.

The Micro-hub pilot also complements broader city logistics measures, including the expansion of parcel locker networks and the gradual restriction of motorised access to improve the liveability and attractiveness of the city centre.

Results

As the pilot implementation is ongoing, full operational results will be available after the testing phase. However, key outcomes have already been achieved in preparation and implementation stages where the location has been confirmed and the micro-hub still being under construction.

However, Municipality of Maribor successfully introduced stricter access control in the pedestrian zone, creating regulatory conditions necessary for sustainable logistics solutions. Potential Micro-hub locations have been analysed, equipment and operational concepts prepared, and cooperation mechanisms among municipal departments and stakeholders are on-going. The Micro-hub implementation is scheduled to become operational during 2026, enabling testing of consolidation, storage, and last-mile delivery services for businesses, residents, and logistics operators.

The pilot is expected to significantly reduce motorised delivery traffic in the pedestrian zone, allow more flexible deliveries outside morning time windows, and improve urban environment quality while supporting local economic activities.

Challenges + key lessons

The preparation phase revealed that governance and coordination are among the main challenges. Implementation required involvement of multiple municipal departments and decision-making levels, including vice-mayors, mayor’s office, spatial planning authorities, and cultural heritage institutions. Since such a logistics solution had never been implemented in Maribor before, additional administrative and spatial planning procedures were necessary, extending preparation time.

Another challenge was limited decision-making authority within project-level departments, requiring additional coordination efforts to move the project forward. Approval from national cultural heritage authorities was also required due to the historic location of the pilot area, further extending timelines.

Key lessons include the importance of early engagement across all governance levels, strong political and administrative support and structured cooperation with logistics operators and local businesses. The experience confirms that regulatory measures restricting motorised access must be combined with practical logistics alternatives, such as Micro-hub infrastructure, to ensure acceptance and long-term success of sustainable city logistics solutions.