People line up waiting to be served in the post office, Salford, Manchester, UK. 17/02/20. Image: Edward Crawford/Shutterstock.com
In comparing the U.S. Postal Service with those of other countries, an inspector general report has found that the USPS is operating under laws that are generally more restrictive in some ways but less restrictive in others.
It said for example that the USPS—which delivers nearly half the worldwide mail volume and much more than any of the other 26 studied—is one of only four required to deliver six days a week; most others deliver only five days a week and some only three days.
Like the USPS, most other posts are governmental in nature, it said, but eight are fully or partly privatized, while 19 have outsourced a greater share of post offices, with seven outsourcing 90 to 100 percent.
In a posting, the IG summarized other key findings as (in its words):
• “USPS generally has more flexibility to balance service quality with financial sustainability. Except for six-day delivery, the Postal Service’s universal service obligation is largely defined in broad terms. USPS can also set its own targets for service performance. Many other posts have minimum service levels and targets set by law or the regulator.
• “USPS generates about 94 percent of its revenue from the delivery of mail including parcels. The remainder comes from other services such as P.O. Boxes and passports. About half of the posts we evaluated received two-thirds or more of their revenue from mail and parcels. The rest, including some of the more profitable posts, generate revenue from other businesses such as freight and logistics, banking, and insurance.
• “USPS faces restrictions on business operations. The Postal Service has a limit on borrowing funds, constraints on managing its pension obligations, and strict limitations on diversifying outside its core business. Most other posts do not face these constraints.”
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