Premier calls for better postal services in Russia
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov said on Thursday that the concept of the federal postal service which was considered by the Cabinet of Ministers “must include steps aiming to improve the quality and reliability of the services provided in this sphere.”.
He said, “This sphere of state activity has been overlooked for a number of years. We think of the postman as a person with a heavy bag, but the world of today sees equipment and mechanisms of a different level. We can only say that certain improvements in this sphere exist also in Russia.
To overcome the lag, it is necessary to pay special attention to means of delivery, their reliability and the quality of the services provided, said Kasyanov.
He also said competition is necessary to boost the services and their quality in this sphere.
——
The postal service currently provides about 80 types of services. This is a comprehensive system with 40,000 postal offices. But there are many complaints about its activity. At a news conference, Communications Minister Leonid Reyman said that the main principles of the activity of the postal service – accessibility, wide range of services and low rates – will remain intact. There is one more peculiarity in store for the postal service in the next few years – creating a competitive environment. The following is what Reyman said.
[Reyman] It is important to say that we will be striving to create conditions [to develop] the postal services market and competition in this market. We already have some elements of this competition and this market. Regrettably, it only exists in large cities like Moscow and St Petersburg. But we will be trying to do what we can to develop the market in other Russian regions.
[Correspondent] This means that the number of non-state-owned communications operators will be increasing. This is a sort of alternative to the lack of heavy investments in this area. New types of service will be created. More electronic services will be provided. Internet stations for the general public will be set up, rural areas included. This is mainly what is in store for the postal communications in the forthcoming years.
