Post Office Ltd rolls out 40 mobile post offices for rural areas

Britain’s Post Office Ltd is rolling out a new fleet of mobile post offices to serve 250 rural locations. The 40 new Mercedes Sprinter vans have been converted into walk-in post offices on wheels, the company said, adding that the vehicles even have wheelchair accessibility with a special lift.

The postal facilities will be operated by subpostmasters, bringing core postal services to more isolated areas including letter/parcel postage and personal banking services like cash withdrawal, savings and insurance services.

Post Office said the vehicles would cover more than half a million miles between them over the next 12 months, the equivalent of driving around the world 20 times.

The vans will replace the existing fleet of converted LDV vans, which have travelled about 3m miles over the past six years.

The vehicles will boost the network of 11,800 post offices around the UK, particularly in rural areas of England, Scotland and Wales.

Kevin Gilliland, the Post Office Network Director, said the new vehicles were part of the company’s bid to make its services more convenient and accessible.

“Post Office is modernising to meet customers’ needs. We are investing in services across our network to make it easier for customers, whether that means they are served via one of our new vehicles in more isolated areas or at a modernised high street branch,” he said.

The conversion of standard vans into mobile Post Office branches is being undertaken by Leicester Carriage Builders, part of the Central England Co-operative Ltd.