Royal Mail Pilots Solar-Powered Postboxes with Parcel-Scanning Technology

Five high-tech postboxes debut in Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire, signaling a major shift toward modernized postal services as parcel demand surges.

• Royal Mail has launched a trial of solar-powered postboxes equipped with barcode scanners and enlarged parcel hatches to accommodate larger packages.
• The pilot includes five postboxes located in Ware, Hertford, and Fowlmere, with plans to potentially expand the service nationwide if successful.
• Customers can scan barcoded parcels to activate the hatch and receive digital proof of posting via the Royal Mail app.
• This initiative addresses declining letter volumes and a growing parcel trade, driven by online secondhand selling and changing consumer habits.
• The trial coincides with Royal Mail's corporate restructuring and the pending sale of its parent company, International Distribution Services, to EP Group for £3.57 billion.

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