Ebikes with trailers enlisted for mail runs

With letter mail volumes declining and the demand for immediate mail and parcel delivery increasing, New Zealand Post and CourierPost have joined forces to provide an integrated service.

From next week posties will be delivering overnight CourierPost items to the suburban areas of Tauranga, Mount Maunganui and Papamoa.

CourierPost will continue to provide overnight and same-day service for businesses and high-density areas and manage any large parcels.

To help the posties deliver the new volume of mail, New Zealand Post has equipped them with new gear, scanners, tracking, and the new ebike - a power-assisted bicycle with bike trailers and larger panniers to accommodate larger parcels.

New Zealand Post general manager operations Ashley Smout believed the new service would provide an effective and efficient postal delivery network. "With the decline in mail, it makes sense to have one delivery agent."

New Zealand Post has been working on the new integrated system with CourierPost for the past two years, in Palmerston North and Auckland, with any problems or questions sorted to ensure customer satisfaction.

Now Tauranga will be the first place to implement the new system. "It is the ideal location" Mr Smout said, "given it's strong economic growth and diverse population and business mix".

If the new system is successful, New Zealand Post will implement the integration with CourierPost across the country.