URN.Under the partnership, the riders will enable Posta Uganda deliver parcels at the door of the final destination or where the sender and the recipient agree as the point of delivery. Posta Uganda MD, James Arinaitwe says that all the goods handed over to them under the Posta Express Service will be insured and that this is aimed at ensuring that the customer incurs no loss in the course of being served.
Posta Uganda together with Safe-Boda, a leading ride-hailing app company, have made a partnership dubbed “Posta Express Service,” aimed at extending their reach and increase the speed of parcel delivery.
Under the partnership, the riders will enable Posta Uganda deliver parcels at the door of the final destination or where the sender and the recipient agree as the point of delivery.
This is also part of the efforts by Posta Uganda to evolve their services so as to remain competitive under the changing business environment. For more than a decade now, Posta Uganda has faced competition from smaller operators offering similar or related services, and this has been made even more challenging by innovation and digitisation of businesses.
Currently, there are at least 10 registered courier companies in Uganda operating domestic services, with many of them using either motorcycles or buses as a means of delivery, while others employ a combination both to be more effective. Others use long-route bus services to have the packages delivered between main cities and the country outlets of the courier companies.
Posta Uganda Managing Director, James Arinaitwe, says that under the new innovation, there will be no need for a package to first be taken from the sender to the Post Office, especially if it is within the same area.
Some boda-boda operators have portrayed the industry as one where the client needs extra caution for both personal security and the safety of their packages. This is one of the reasons Posta Uganda has been toying with the idea for some time, but that one main issue where more caution was needed was on the security of the customers’ properties or packages.
Arinaitwe says that much as there are many public transport motorcycle companies, they find it more comfortable to deal with Safe Boda while the assessment of other companies in ongoing.
He says that all the goods handed over to them under the Posta Express Service will be insured and that this is aimed at ensuring that the customer incurs no loss in the course of being served.
The innovation is mainly targeting people who are willing to save time at what the two organisation call a small fee. The convenience is that the customer will call the service using their mobile phone or computer and, the package picked from the source.
The customer can then truck it until it is delivered.
The Head of Communications at Safe Boda, Edgar Karamagi hopes the service will revolutionarise the industry especially in regard to safety, efficiency and pricing.
The service has been undergoing piloting and will be rolled later this week, according to Karamagi and Arinaitwe.
