Overview
- By the end of September, the Bundesnetzagentur had received 629 applications to classify automated stations as branches, with four withdrawn and the remainder under examination.
- If all pending cases are approved, roughly five percent of the branch network would consist of machine-only locations.
- Deutsche Post operates about 12,600 branches, more than 900 Poststationen and around 15,600 Packstationen, with the automated units offering 24/7 service and video support primarily in rural and edge-of-town areas.
- Regulatory data show 160 locations that should have a branch currently lack one, and the company says solutions are lined up for about half, alongside some 1,200 interim staffed outlets used as stopgaps.
- The regulator consults affected municipalities before granting approvals, while county leaders and disability advocates caution against heavy reliance on machines and press for stronger accessibility features.