Brazil’s postal service set targets to improve universal access

The Brazilian government has issued new regulations strengthening the universal access requirements for the country’s postal service. For the first time, Brazil’s state-owned Post and Telegraph Company (ECT) will have delivery targets imposed, requiring certain transit times to be met including 95% of letters to arrive within five working days.

Minister Paul Bernardo has also ordered ECT to expand the coverage of its services, to give access to more people living in rural and remote areas.

The government’s Secretary of Postal Services, Luciana Bridges, said the new requirements were replacing and upgrading “outdated” regulations.

“The previous ordinances were very focused on regulating the activity of the company, but without a clear concern for the citizen’s rights and guarantees with respect to their postal service. The new regulations are meant for the citizens.”

The new rules set out goals for ECT to achieve over the next four years, although under the regulations issued by the Ministry, ministers will continue to review the universal postal service, with the intention of setting new targets for the next four-year period, starting January 2016.

Targets

Delivery targets include 95% of letters and postcards – basic and recorded – arriving in less than five working days, 90% within two days.

They also require 95% of printed non-urgent materials should arrive within 10 working days, 90% within four days.

Targets have also been set for the delivery of telegrams.

In terms of universal access, ECT will have to ensure that by the end of 2012, it has post offices in every single Brazilian municipality. Currently, about 99% of the 5,565 municipalities are served, leaving 46 more in which ECT will have to establish a retail presence.

The national postal service is currently in the process of seeking franchise owners to run 818 new post offices across the country.

The new rules also require postal services to extend into all 4,261 of the districts within Brazil that each have less than 500 inhabitants. ECT, which currently serves 2,744 of these locations (about 64% of the total) will have until 2015 to comply.

Overall, the Ministry of Communications said over 85% of Brazil’s 192m population should be covered by the postal service within the next four years, up from the current 82%.

The new rules also expand ECT’s scope in allowing it to deliver to addresses not yet officially recognised by municipal governments, but which do have an identity as an address.

It means parcels can be sent to buildings if they meet minimum standards such as having suitable signs to identify them, or being numbered appropriately along a named street, but will not need the institutional recognition of public authorities.

Deliveries to residential communities with restrictive access can be made through single-point community mailboxes.