US Postal Service to trial same-day deliveries in November
updated 05:54 pm EDT, Sat October 13, 2012
USPS creating experimental Metro Post
The United States Postal Service (USPS) plans to start performing same-day deliveries. A filing to the Postal Regulatory Commission tells of an experimental service called Metro Post, designed for online retailers to provide same-day deliveries of goods to customers in metropolitan areas.
Although the plan has been revealed, pricing and location details were not declared in the filing, as discovered by TechCrunch. It will take place “within a defined metropolitan area” and will “assist the Postal Service in determining the optimal pricing structure for this type of service.” The initial test will start on or after November 12th and will last for one year. Companies taking part in the trial have not been named, though those wishing to do so need to have at least ten physical locations across the US and at least one within the currently-unknown test market.
As it is a test, the Metro Post service will not be performing many deliveries initially. The service will be limited to no more than ten online retailers, and will see around 200 packages a day delivered by January 2013. The USPS may lift these restrictions after this initial period, potentially finding more companies and locations to expand the test deliveries to.
Online retailers are already working on high-speed delivery options. Auction site eBay, for example, is using an iOS app to offer deliveries in the San Francisco area for a $5 charge.
