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Wednesday 18 November 2020
Germans are buying more and more online – demand continues to rise during the corona pandemic. To balance the Christmas rush, packages can now be shipped and picked up on the package buses in Berlin. The contactless process is not just meant to protect customers.
Before the flood of Christmas packages, parcel services work to protect against infections. DHL is attempting an outdoor task. A pilot project was started in Berlin: customers in the capital can either deliver their shipments to employees on parcel buses or receive them. Five buses have been ready in different districts since Wednesday, with another five to follow in the coming days.
“We want to straighten out the otherwise familiar image of branch operations,” said DHL East Germany COO Michael Heimbokel. For this, relief branches will be temporarily opened and additional packing stations will be put into operation. Competitors of the market leader also ensure that protection against infections is ensured during the Christmas season. In many cases, customers have become used to receiving unsigned packages. Contactless delivery and delivery contribute significantly to protection against infection, said the Federal Association for Express and Parcel Logistics (BIEK). Represents DPD, GLS, GO !, Hermes and UPS.
Since the beginning of the Corona crisis, parcel carriers have been even busier than before. In addition to jobs as caretakers and police officers, the delivery staff also did important work for the community, said Berlin Mayor Michael Müller at the presentation of a parcel bus in Neukölln. “Colleagues stood as one.”
As Germans buy more and more online, the number of packages has been growing year after year, even at Christmas. Thousands of additional workers are deployed across the country. According to BIEK’s forecast, they will have to deliver around 420 million packages in November and December, a fifth more than in the same period last year. A smooth delivery is ensured, so the association. However, the advice for customers: send packages earlier than usual. They won’t always arrive after a day or two.
Berliners can still pick up and drop off their shipments on parcel buses until mid-January. Packages must already be stamped. The yellow-painted vehicles were rented by Deutsche Post DHL Group from a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn, which offers tours of the city of Berlin. Since almost no tourists arrive in the capital at this time, the buses were free.
