Couriers in Australia win express race
COURIER companies say they might be more expensive than Express Post but they have an important edge: late pick-up, early delivery.
An experiment by The Australian last week, with three packages sent from each of three locations, showed that Australia Post’s express mail managed to either beat the competitors into the hands of the recipient — or at least tie.
And at considerably lower cost.
TNT domestic director Peter Longley says the big difference between Australia Post’s overnight service and TNT’s is time.
“Businesses want a pick up as late as possible in the afternoon after they have been working on documents all day.
“And the earlier the delivery the next day the better,” he said.
Last week’s survey of nine satchels using two private companies and Australia Post showed similar delivery times for all services regardless of price.
But it used a 9am pick-up time, which Mr Longley believes levelled the playing field for the government service.
“That time guaranteed pick-up by Australia Post (but) later in the afternoon there are different cut-off times and businesses may miss these,” he said. “And at 6pm the post office is shut and you’re out of luck.”
TNT is the largest courier company in Australia and with burgeoning businesses in Europe and Asia turns over $20 billion in revenues a year.
The courier industry in Australia was large and diverse and with low barriers to entry and so many pockets in the market Mr Longley said new operators would always be joining the market.
One courier company that has lasted the distance is Allied Express, started 25 years ago in Bankstown, western Sydney, it is privately owned and with about 1000 courier drivers ranks just below TNT’s 1200.
General Manager Michelle McDowell said many in the industry had feared the introduction of Australia Post’s various express post and courier services, but this was unfounded.
She said Allied Express was making the most of its role as a transport company, delivering not just documents and parcels, but larger and more cumbersome objects like bumper bars and engine parts.
