Local UK bicycle post company trials mail box service

Velopost, a company which operates bicycle postal delivery networks in Bristol, Bath and Edinburgh, is trialing its own post box collection service.

The company has installed its first post box at the Bristol Tourism Office on the Waterfront. Customers can purchase Velopost postage stamps from the Tourism Office and then use the post box to send mail to local Bristol addresses through the Velopost network. A company spokesperson told Post&Parcel that the plan is install up to about 30 mail boxes in the Bristol area.

“When we started our service in 2011, it was just for businesses and we were collecting the post from businesses premises. But with the post boxes we can also offer a service for the general public.”

Velopost collects and delivers post within two to three days, at a cost of 36p (including VAT) per item. In addition to its fleet of bicycles, Velopost operates electric Nissan Leaf vehicles for delivering larger items and ferrying mail between its hubs in Bristol and Bath.

Velopost has built up a customer base among GP surgeries, dentists, small businesses and councils. The company plans to extend its service beyond the three cities in which it currently operates later this year.