Amazon Flex Route Planner: how to optimize blocks for more $/hour
The Flex app gives you packages in a fixed order based on station sorting. That order is not the most efficient for actually delivering them. Here's the 60-second workflow Flex drivers use to optimize a block before pulling out of the station — and finish 30 minutes faster.
vs. optimal order
3-hour block
at the station
Why the Flex app's order isn't optimal
When you accept a Flex block, packages are pre-sorted by zone at the station. That's good for picking them off the shelf — it's bad for driving. The pre-sort optimizes station throughput, not your fuel cost. Within a zone, the order you'll be sent on is often whatever order the labels printed in. Drivers who pull the addresses out and re-optimize them save real time on every block.
The 60-second workflow
1. Get the addresses (at the station, while packages are still in the cart)
The fastest way is to open your route in the Flex app, then either:
- Read off the package labels — yes it's manual, but if you only do it for the addresses that look "off" in the suggested order, it's quick.
- Use a Flex companion tool (third-party apps like Rabbit Route Optimizer pull the address list from the Flex app — be aware these violate Amazon's TOS, use at your own risk).
- Take a photo of the route sheet posted at most stations.
2. Drop them into NaviPlan
Open NaviPlan in your phone's browser (no signup, no install). Paste or type the addresses. Set your station as the start point and your home (or station, if it's a return block) as the end point.
3. Click Optimize → check the order
NaviPlan reorders them in 1–2 seconds. Look at the route line. If the optimized order obviously zigzags through your zone differently than the Flex app's, that's the change worth following.
4. Export to Google Maps for turn-by-turn nav
NaviPlan exports the optimized stop order to Google Maps so you get live traffic and proper navigation. Tick stops off in NaviPlan as you go; jump to the next one in Maps.
Which NaviPlan tier matches Flex blocks
Flex blocks are usually 30–50 packages over 3–4 hours. Match that to the tier:
- Free (20 stops) — fine for half-blocks or 1-hour delivery blocks. Not enough for a typical full Flex block.
- Pro €9.99/month (80 stops) — covers nearly every Flex block, with room to spare. Most Flex drivers who use a planner regularly land here.
- Business €29.99/month (unlimited) — only worth it if you're doing back-to-back blocks for a team or running other delivery work alongside.
The Pro tier pays back its monthly cost in saved fuel within ~3 blocks for most drivers.
Tips specifically for Flex blocks
- Set the start point to the station address — this is the difference between a clean optimization and a route that pretends you're starting from anywhere. NaviPlan optimizes from the start, so this matters.
- If you do Whole Foods / Amazon Fresh blocks, the optimization is even more valuable — those have tighter delivery windows, and the Flex app's order doesn't account for them.
- For long-distance blocks (rural), the Flex app order is often already close to optimal because there's only one practical route. The optimization gain is biggest in dense urban blocks.
- Don't bother re-optimizing during the block unless you miss a stop and have to insert it. NaviPlan re-optimizes in 1 second; the Flex app makes you call support.
Apps to compare with
The most-named alternatives for Flex drivers:
- Circuit — popular with Flex drivers, but its free tier is 10 stops/day total. Pro is ~$30/month.
- Upper Route Planner — 7-day trial then paid. Has proof of delivery for couriers who also do other gig work.
- RouteXL — also has a genuinely free tier (20 stops). Older interface.
- Google Maps — caps at 10 stops and doesn't reorder. Not useful for Flex blocks.
Plan your next Flex block in NaviPlan — free up to 20 stops, no signup.
Optimize a block free →The honest summary
Amazon Flex blocks are one of the cleanest cases for a route planner. The Flex app gives you a pre-sorted list that's good enough — most drivers run it as-is. The drivers earning the most per hour are the ones who spend 60 seconds at the station running the list through a planner before they pull out. Over a week of blocks, the time saved adds up to one extra block per week — which on Flex pay rates often exceeds the monthly cost of the planner by 3–5×.