What Grid does

Grid Smarter Cities is a Newcastle-headquartered, privately held technology company that operates the Kerb platform — a dynamic, digital kerbside management system enabling delivery drivers to pre-book loading bay slots and local authorities to allocate kerbside space in real time. The company was founded around 2019 and serves two primary customer segments: local authorities (Kerb Owners) responsible for managing urban kerbside assets, and freight and logistics operators (Kerb Users) requiring reliable loading access. Live deployments span at least six London boroughs (Westminster, Southwark, Lambeth, Richmond, Camden, City of London), Bankside Pier, and Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

The company's core technology combines software (booking platform, driver mobile app, fleet management interface, council dashboard) with hardware (double-sided e-ink smart signs displaying real-time bay availability and registered vehicle details). Its patent-protected Virtual Loading Bay (VLB) technology extends addressable capacity by enabling digitally created, pre-approved loading locations in spaces where parking would otherwise be prohibited. Adjacent product lines include Chargerie (on-street EV charging integrated with loading bays) and Kerb-Dock (river-road cross-docking at Bankside Pier). Dynamic pricing, demand-led allocation, and zonal access permissions are being developed within the €16.4 million EU CORESpaces programme alongside Transport for London, the London Legacy Development Corporation, UCL, and AppyWay.

Grid generates revenue through three streams: platform subscription and software licensing to local authorities and operators on a quote basis tied to deployment scale, one-time hardware sales of e-ink signage and associated installation, and per-use transaction fees on selected deployments such as Westminster's EV loading bays. Pricing for end users varies from freemium (Walworth Road bays are free with registration) to pay-as-you-go (Westminster EV bays charged at local parking rates) to multi-year enterprise contracts with councils. The company's go-to-market is enterprise-led, with direct field sales to UK local authorities often tied to grant funding (DEFRA, EU Horizon Europe) and council budgets, alongside self-service operator pre-registration gated by council approval.

Name

Grid

Legal name

Grid Smarter Cities Ltd.

Website

https://gridsmartercities.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Grid Smarter Cities operates the Kerb platform, a digital kerbside management system enabling delivery drivers to pre-book loading slots and councils to dynamically allocate kerbside space, serving UK local authorities and freight operators across multiple London boroughs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Smart City Software / Urban Logistics Technology

akta.pro primary industry

Parking & Toll Payment/Reservation Platforms (BPAMAIAL)

Keywords

• Kerbside management solutions
• Urban freight management
• Smart city infrastructure
• Digital loading bay booking
• Virtual loading bay technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Newcastle Upon Tyne

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Platform Subscription / Software Licensing: Local authorities and operators pay for access to the Kerb platform, including the booking system, driver app, and council dashboard. Pricing is quote-based and tailored to deployment scale.
2. Hardware Sales: Sale of e-ink smart signs, installation, and associated physical infrastructure required for deployments.
3. Per-Use Transaction Fees: Some deployments (e.g., Westminster EV bays) charge users at local parking rates for bay usage, generating transaction-based revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Grid Smarter Cities operates the Kerb Delivery Platform, a dynamic digital booking platform that enables delivery drivers to reserve kerbside loading slots in advance. The platform manages both physical loading bays and patented Virtual Loading Bays (VLBs) and serves Local Authorities (Kerb Owners) and Freight & Logistics Operators (Kerb Users). The integrated hardware-software solution combines e-ink smart signage, a driver mobile app, fleet management interface, and a council analytics dashboard.

Product overview

Grid Smarter Cities operates as a kerbside management platform company with a unified product portfolio centred on the Kerb Delivery Platform. The core platform enables dynamic digital booking of kerbside loading slots, supported by complementary modules: Kerb Owners (for Local Authorities with analytics and enforcement tools) and Kerb Users (for Freight and Logistics Operators with fleet management capabilities). Key technology products include Virtual Loading Bays (VLBs) with patent protection for creating digital loading spaces, and Smart Signs using e-ink displays for real-time bay availability. The platform integrates with mapping, enforcement, and hardware systems, and the company has developed specialized EV loading bay solutions. Users access the system via the Kerb Driver Mobile App and Kerb Web Booking Platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kerb: Digital kerbside management platform enabling delivery drivers to book loading slots in advance. Includes Kerb Delivery booking platform, Kerb Owners (for local authorities), and Kerb Users (for freight and logistics operators).
• Kerb-Dock
• Virtual Loading Bays (VLBs)
• Chargerie

Products and services

• Kerb Delivery Platform A dynamic, digital booking platform enabling delivery drivers to reserve kerbside loading slots in advance, providing surety of space prior to arrival. Manages existing loading bays and patented Virtual Loading Bays (VLBs). Targeted at Local Authorities and Freight & Logistics Operators in urban environments.
• Kerb Owners Kerbside management solution for Local Authorities (Kerb Owners), providing visibility of micro kerbside behaviour, transaction data, and analytics to support city prioritisation, dynamic permissions management, and improved enforcement.
• Kerb Users Kerbside management solution for Freight and Logistics Operators (Kerb Users), enabling pre-booking of loading slots, fleet management through web platform, and delivery certainty through guaranteed space reservations.
• Virtual Loading Bays (VLBs) Patent-protected technology enabling digitally created, pre-approved loading locations in areas where parking and loading may traditionally be prohibited. Allows bookings at certain times in virtual locations, expanding kerbside capacity dynamically.
• EV Loading Bay Solution (Chargerie) Specialized bookable loading bays for electric freight vehicles enabling pre-booked access for up to 90 minutes, with integrated fast on-street EV charging capability for delivery vehicles at the kerbside.
• Kerb-Dock Kerbside cross-docking solution combining river freight with zero-emission last-mile delivery using the Kerb platform, enabling multimodal logistics from river freight to road-based final delivery.
• Smart Signs (E-ink) Double-sided e-ink digital signage integrated with the Kerb platform displaying real-time bay availability, booked vehicle registration details, and booking time slots on the kerbside.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3.8 Benefit to Cost Ratio for Southwark in 2024
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Southwark CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership deploying bookable loading bays on Walworth Road (London's first bookable kerbside management scheme) and at Bankside Pier (Kerb-Dock river-road freight project). Walworth Road scheme made permanent after successful trial.
• Westminster City CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership deploying London's first EV bookable loading bays at Russell Street and Abbey Orchard Street. Project supports Westminster's Net Zero 2040 target and Freight Strategy 2020-2040.
• London Borough of LambethcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on Smarter Greener Logistics trial deploying Virtual Loading Bays on The Cut to improve access for servicing and delivery operators and reduce congestion.
• London Borough of RichmondsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerVirtual Loading Bays deployed in Richmond borough to alleviate congestion in busy traffic corridors and improve local air quality.
• London Borough of CamdensecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership deploying two new Virtual Loading Bays on Kentish Town Road to support freight access in the borough.
• City of LondonsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerVirtual Loading Bays deployed at Watling Street for BLG deliveries, supporting sustainable urban freight in the Square Mile.
• StanteccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Stantec to publish 'Loads Easier: Unlocking the power of kerb' report demonstrating measurable benefits of kerbside management. Joint development of Kerbside Management Evaluation tool.
• Transport for London (TfL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in CORESpaces €16.4m EU Horizon Europe programme. Grid deploying Kerb platform across London deployment locations including Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
• London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK lead for CORESpaces programme. Grid deploying Kerb platform at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and Central London locations.
• University College London (UCL)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in CORESpaces consortium bringing research expertise to kerbside management deployment and evaluation.
• AppyWaysecondaryTechnology or IntegrationCORESpaces consortium partner, fellow kerbside management technology provider collaborating on London Living Lab initiatives.
• SteersecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerTransport consultancy leading evaluation of Kerb-Dock project and authoring practical recommendations for future river-road cross-docking deployments.
• EMSOLsecondaryTechnology or IntegrationCollects air quality and noise data for Kerb-Dock project evaluation, demonstrating environmental impact of river-road freight approach.
• Brewery Logistics Group (BLG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on Safe Stops Campaign addressing critical kerbside delivery challenges for brewery logistics. Grid providing technology platform for BLG member deliveries.
• MP Smarter TravelsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject partner in Kerb-Dock initiative, bringing expertise in sustainable urban mobility and travel behavior change.
• Cross River PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLed Smarter Greener Logistics DEFRA-funded kerbside management trial across London. Grid providing Kerb technology platform for Virtual Loading Bays.
• Transport Research Laboratory (TRL)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrid is founding member of TRL Kerbside Taskforce. Collaborates on advocacy for kerbside management as policy priority and research initiatives.
• ITS UKsecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerIndustry association for intelligent transport systems. Grid participates in events and won 2022 ITS UK Awards for Project of the Year and Better Environment through Technology.
• British Parking AssociationsecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerIndustry association for parking sector. Grid won 2025 Future of Parking Award at British Parking Awards.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• PayByPhone: Leading European and North American parking and toll payment platform owned by Volkswagen. Competes for the same council procurement budgets as Grid's Kerb Owners solution with a mature, scaled payment-focused offering.
• Streetline (Kapsch): Smart parking sensor and analytics vendor, now part of Kapsch TrafficCom, deploying IoT kerbside occupancy detection for cities. Comparable to Grid's hardware-software kerbside sensing layer, though Grid's focus is booking and orchestration versus pure sensing.
• RingGo: UK mobile parking payment app widely deployed across UK local authorities. Overlaps with Grid's booking and enforcement flows at the kerbside but is payment-centric rather than orchestrated logistics booking.
• ParkBee: European parking platform focused on digitising off- and on-street parking for real estate owners and city operators. Overlaps with Grid in the council-facing kerbside stack with bookings and dynamic pricing, but oriented to off-street assets.
• JustPark: UK consumer and B2B parking marketplace serving councils and drivers with bay booking and payment. Operates adjacent to Grid in UK kerbside access, with broader scope across off-street parking rather than focused kerbside logistics.
• EasyPark Group: European parking and mobility app operator across multiple countries, providing parking guidance, payment, and reservation services. Comparable to Grid at the kerbside digitisation layer but with a broader multi-country European footprint and B2C orientation.

Emerging players

• Survision: Manufacturer of licence-plate recognition and vehicle detection sensors used in parking and kerbside enforcement. Provides enabling hardware technology that complements platforms like Grid rather than directly competing in booking software.
• Fyma: Computer-vision urban analytics platform that turns existing traffic cameras into kerbside and pedestrian analytics. Targets similar urban data and operating intelligence demand that Grid addresses with smart-sign generated data.

Regional players

• T2 Systems: North American parking management software vendor serving municipalities and universities. Comparable in council/municipality SaaS focus and revenue model, but primarily off-street and US-focused rather than UK kerbside logistics.

Direct peers

• AppyWay: UK smart kerbside management and parking data platform. Fellow kerbside management technology company collaborating with Grid inside the CORESpaces consortium, targeting overlapping council and operator customers with comparable data-driven loading bay and kerbside analytics products.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/gridsmartercities
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/grid-smarter-cities
• Xx.com/gridsmartercity
• Facebookfacebook.com/gridsmartercities

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Grid