Royal Mail has unveiled a significant redesign to its traditional red postboxes, marking the most substantial change in 175 years. The postal service is introducing 3,500 solar-powered “postboxes of the future” across the country, featuring a barcode scanner that opens a compartment for parcels upon scanning.
These innovative postboxes will be equipped with solar panels angled for maximum sunlight exposure to power the system. Customers can conveniently send and receive labeled parcels up to the size of a shoebox using this new technology, alongside a dedicated slot for posting letters. Additionally, customers can utilize the Royal Mail app to request proof of posting and track their parcels.
Following a successful trial in Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire earlier this year, the new postboxes are now being rolled out in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Cities like Edinburgh, Manchester, Nottingham, Sheffield, and Sunderland are among the first to witness the installation of these modern postboxes. Moreover, Royal Mail is expanding its network of parcel points, offering over 23,500 locations for parcel services, including lockers, Collect+ stores, Post Office branches, Royal Mail Customer Service Points, and parcel postboxes.
Jack Clarkson, Managing Director of Out of Home and Commercial Excellence at Royal Mail, emphasized the increasing demand for parcel services driven by online shopping trends. With 115,000 postboxes strategically located across the UK, Royal Mail aims to provide a convenient and reliable parcel drop-off network for customers.
In a related development, Royal Mail has received approval from Ofcom to alter its delivery schedule for second-class post, reducing deliveries to alternate weekdays and excluding Saturdays. Despite this change, Royal Mail remains committed to delivering second-class letters within three working days, while maintaining daily first-class deliveries from Monday to Saturday.
Ofcom estimates that this adjustment will generate significant cost savings for Royal Mail, ranging between £250 million and £425 million. The decision aligns with the declining volume of letters being sent to UK households, decreasing from 20 billion two decades ago to 6.6 billion presently.