Plans are in motion to upgrade the island’s post offices, Minister of Home Affairs and Information Wilfred Abrahams has disclosed.
Speaking at a press briefing at the ministry on Monday, ahead of the Finding The Missing Links: Enhancing Your Digital Strategy With Artificial Intelligence workshop, he said upgrading the infrastructure at post offices across the island is part of the Barbados Postal Service’s (BPS) strategy to expand its services.
One new feature would be to offer small business owners’ door-to-door dropoff and pickup services.
“So, there’s been an increased focus on the Barbados post, in terms of package delivery, parcel delivery, the Express Post Couriers. Our Postal Service now needs to look at last mile delivery [and] how we can use infrastructure to make life easy for Barbadians….
“If you order something online, how about, instead of going to pick it up thatsame package is delivered right to your doorstep as it is in the States? If you are an entrepreneur in Barbados, and you have a product that you want to move, or transported, how can you have that product picked up from where you are and then delivered to the person who is your ultimate consumer? That is what we’re looking at,” Minister Abrahams said.
He explained that the infrastructure atpost offices would need to be reconfigured to accommodate the receipt and dispatch of medium to larger boxed items. He said the BPS is currently in the process of moving in that direction.
“We are in the process of getting a new post office off the ground in Welches and all of our post offices are going to be configured and re-imagined…. Our aim is to have everything that Bajans can expect internationally be able to happen here in Barbados. So, if you order something online, we want to get to the point where if you’re interested, it’s delivered right to your doorstep in Barbados. That involves a number of moving parts,” the minister said.
“Obviously, we have to have a proper arrangement with customs to facilitate it for a number of border protection reasons, but once we work through those logistics, we are aiming to have that happen in Barbados.”
Postmaster General Joann Busby noted that the BPS, through its Post Express Couriers, offers the public the opportunity to have their Barbados passport and driver’s licence, as well as medication from the Queen Elizabeth Hospital’s pharmacy, delivered right to their door.
She added that people could pay using wireless point-of-sale terminals for this service. In terms of having medium to large packages delivered or picked up, Busby said the team is working towards an 18-month timeframe. (BGIS/BT)
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