Waterloo
Engineering
success
story BufferBox
Inc.
has
been
acquired
by
Google.
Company
founders
and mechatronics
engineering
alumni
Mike
McCauley,
Aditya
Bali
and
Jay
Shah
sold
their
company for
an
undisclosed
amount.
BufferBox
was
created
by
the trio
as
their
fourth-year
design
project
to
provide
a
reliable
and
secure
parcel
delivery
alternative.
In
January
2012
they
launched
what
is
believed
to
be
the
first
parcel
delivery
kiosk
service
in
Canada
in
the
Student
Life
Centre
at
the
University
of
Waterloo.
BufferBox's
service
provides
users
with
temporary
lockers
in
central
locations
which
can
accept
packages
sent
by
online
retailers.
Each
user
signs
up
for
a
BufferBox
address,
which
is
provided
to
the
online
merchant.
When
a
parcel
arrives
at
one
of
BufferBox's
self-serve
kiosks,
the
user
receives
an
email
and
can
pick
up
the
package
using
a
one-time-use
code.
Last month, BufferBox announced it had reached a deal with Metrolinx to roll out its self-serve parcel pickup kiosks to GO Transit stations, including Toronto's Union Station.
The company aims to have 100 BufferBoxes installed in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area by the end of 2013. In addition to transit hubs, the company is also working on agreements with grocery and convenience stores.
Google plans to keep the BufferBox brand for the foreseeable future.