Israel Postal Company cutting back on mailbox network
Israel Postal Company is cutting back on its national network of mailboxes, in response to a sharp decline in the volume of mail being sent through the red boxes. Local sources report that there are currently about 4,000 mailboxes in Israel and the company plans to prune the network down to about 2,500. However, many believe that the cuts may go much deeper, judging by the scale of closures in Jerusalem, where the downsizing has begun.
According to Israeli news outlet Haaretz, less than 90 of the city’s 300+ mailboxes are still functional. The decommissioned boxes have been sealed up with plastic.
Haaretz said it had received a statement from the Israel Postal Company which said: “Because of the significant drop in the volume of traditional mail sent through the mailboxes, we’re working to redeploy the red boxes and removing mailboxes where activity is slim to none.”
The statement continued: “Nevertheless, we’re being careful to act in accordance with the terms of the company’s new licence, under which a red mailbox must be placed at a distance not exceeding 1,500 metres from every household.”
The postal provider was also quoted as saying that “only about 3% of the mail sent through the Israel Postal Company is sent via the red mailboxes”.
The Israel Postal Company pointed out that it has extended the working hours of its post offices and has also opened new dedicated centres for sending packages.
