USPS could generate more revenue by taking advantage of its door-to-door “last mile” delivery network, the postal IG has said.
The report, “Delivery Operations – Additional Carrier Services,” considers services such as monitoring services for the elderly and collection of air quality details on delivery vehicles, to traffic reporting services and dry cleaning delivery. The IG also poses the question of whether USPS ought to just stick to its core business of mail and package delivery.
The IG acknowledges that many of the ideas could involve investment, additional training, as well as schedule and collective bargaining changes. Further, USPS is prohibited from offering services that are not inherently mail-related. However, Postal reform legislation that was reported out of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental AffairsCommittee in February could provide it with more flexibility.
USPS is already positioned to sell ad space on the side of its vehicles, as it explored when promoting a movie recently, but revenue could be limited because it would only be profitable in dense urban areas and because the Postal Service would have to be highly selective in terms of brand association, the IG notes.
