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The Czech Post (Česká pošta) has announced that it will widen the delivery window for letters sent using the standard ‘economic service’, the equivalent of a 2nd class stamp delivery in the UK.
The Czech Republic’s national postal operator says the reason for the decision is the terminal decline in the amount of letters being sent and a need for optimisation across its services.
The change comes after trials in the spring that have just been widened from 17 depots to 144 this month. From next month, the longer delivery window will apply to all Česká pošta depots nationwide.
According to reports in the Czech media, the ‘economic service’ is by far the most common choice for those sending letters in the Czech Republic. The ‘priority service’, which only costs a few Czech crowns more, has a mere 7% share.
Commenting on the announcement, Česká pošta spokesperson Matyáš Vitík said a major factor was the digitalisation of communication between citizens and the state authorities. This is bringing about a significant fall in the amount of letters being sent.
Meanwhile, the Czech post has also announced a number of cost-saving measures. 300 of its branches are to close, while around 1,000 staff will be made redundant.
It is reported that the postal operator will soon present plans for a transformation that will see it split into two entities. One would cover the state’s universal postal service, with the other being a private entity focused on parcel delivery.
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Photo: Česká pošta, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons