Postmates extends courier network to Twin Cities
On-demand courier company Postmates is set to enter the Minneapolis–Saint Paul market this week.
The company will be marking its launch in the Twin Cities this Thursday (14 May) with a two-day “free pizza” promotion.
Postmates says that it will deliver virtually any item from a local retail store or restaurant at any hour of the day – as long as the establishment is open – and deliver it in less than an hour.
Company spokesperson Heather Luntz said that about 80% of Postmates’ deliveries are food to-go from restaurants.
Postmates started up in San Francisco in 2011 and has since set up operations in 25 cities across the US, including Atlanta, Houston, Portland and Phoenix.
The company generally recruits its couriers from young urbanites who are looking for supplementary income. Bastian Lehmann, CEO of Postmates, described being a Postmates courier as “America’s best part-time job”. One of the additional benefits of working for Postmates, added Lehmann, is that couriers have $1 million liability insurance and also $50,000 occupational accident insurance, which covers medical expenses.
Postmates has been running a courier recruitment drive in the Twin Cities ahead of this week’s launch. Luntz said that the company typically recruits about 100 couriers/drivers to launch into a new market and then continues to add more as the momentum builds.
Twin Cities residents will be able to use the Postmates smartphone app or website to order goods from local stores or food from any restaurant (as long as they offer a take-out service) and then – similar to the apps of Uber and Lyft – they can watch their delivery person’s location on a map to track their order in real time.
Delivery fees will start at $5 and can go up from there to around $20, depending on distance. Postmates also adds a 9% service fee on the total price. Tips are said to be “optional”.
