Royal Mail is trialling a high-tech, solar-powered postbox equipped with a barcode scanner and a larger hatch designed to accept parcels — in what it calls the biggest transformation to postbox design in more than 175 years.
Dubbed the “postbox of the future”, the new design reflects the growing shift in the postal sector as parcel volumes soar and letter volumes decline. With a black chequered lid — in fact, solar panels to power the integrated scanner — the prototype pillar box enables customers to send prepaid parcels more easily by scanning a barcode before depositing them in a hatch.
Once a valid barcode is scanned using the built-in reader, the parcel hatch opens, allowing users to drop in larger items. The system is supported by an internal battery, charged via the solar panel, ensuring functionality even on overcast days. Customers can then request proof of posting via the Royal Mail app.
The trial is taking place at five locations in Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire — including Ware, Hertford and Fowlmere — but Royal Mail has signalled ambitions to expand the concept nationwide, adapting “thousands” of its 115,000 existing postboxes to accept parcels in future.
“In an era where letter volumes continue to decline and parcels are booming, we are giving our iconic postboxes a new lease of life on street corners across the nation,” said Emma Gilthorpe, Royal Mail’s new chief executive.
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