RMCtv : Universal Service reform - What will it mean for rural routes?

[POSTMAN]

"The routes will be structured in a way to make them achievable, which is great for our people and also great for our customers," - Jamie Stephenson, Operations Transformation Director



It will be very different, we're working on the premise that on average one of the all product groups that I talked about, so the foot, the foot walks or core walks as we would describe it, that the vehicle route that supports that on the alternate day would cover probably one to three ratio in terms of the number of core routes covered.

That will differ based on a number of factors, the density of population, inter stop distances, and if we look at our rural communities, they are clearly going to be a much lower ratio.

So we saw some questions people asking how could I possibly cover 3 rural routes, clearly that isn't going to be the case and each unit will have a very specific plan which will take into account the number of delivery points, how far apart they are, the amount of call rate that we expect in that unit.

And therefore the routes will be structured in such a way to make them achievable, which is great for our people, but equally it's great for our customers because we need to make sure through all of this change as Matt mentioned before we hit those quality of service targets and we hit those reliability targets for our customers.

And therefore what you'd see in a deep rural route will look very different to what you would see in an inner city route, for example, that each site will have a a dedicated plan, which we'll do locally through the usual engagement routes, and we'll talk to the people who know best. Which is the people who operate those routes every day.

[scotchy1962]

So let me get this right, you talk a lot of gobbledeegook, we are supposed to understand what you mean and all is good in delivery land.
Now go out and do it. Errr ....... no!
Do these people even live on planet earth, maybe somebody could decipher it for us all.

[heraldmoth]

On a rural 2 deliveries at the very best cld b covered by doing just packets, someone just hasn’t done their math. Gonna take an hour to scan and load van, 40 mins meal relief so 360 mins to deliver, currently a 6hr delivery hitting 300+ of 480 delivery points takes 5 hours minimum, unless you’re doorstepping every packet best case scenario you clear about 200 packets in those 360 mins, minus van checks etc also assuming there’s no mail prep either. How it would work is just doing tracks and specials.

[guardianangel]

No one cares anymore

[wally7]

I just don't get thinking of all this crap . So, every day the tracked packs go out because that were the profit is but leave the letters. You are going to a house with a parcel for christ sake take the bloody letter for that house more profit!!!!

[kazardaimenu]

Right…

[Barnacle]

I miss the days when all the letters, packets and parcels arrived and we delivered it all and then went home.

[Barnacle]

I just don't get thinking of all this crap . So, every day the tracked packs go out because that were the profit is but leave the letters. You are going to a house with a parcel for christ sake take the bloody letter for that house more profit!!!!

Delivering letters and parcels together is the most efficient and cost effective way to do both. Or so we thought. We are clearly victims of wrongthink.

[ted_e_bear]

I miss the days when all the letters, packets and parcels arrived and we delivered it all and then went home.

I know, it all seemed so simple.

[TopperGas]

I just don't get thinking of all this crap . So, every day the tracked packs go out because that were the profit is but leave the letters. You are going to a house with a parcel for christ sake take the bloody letter for that house more profit!!!!

Problem is you'll need to prep the entire duty before you leave the DO and then go through the frame to pull out the post for addresses you've got parcels for, then at the other end pull out the post when you deliver the parcel. If you're covering two rural routes you'll have to do it for both duties. It's far quicker to just grab the parcels & 1C mail for both rounds. Although day 2 would be a nightmare as somebody will have to prep double mail and parcels and then deliver two days mail.

[Barnacle]

I just don't get thinking of all this crap . So, every day the tracked packs go out because that were the profit is but leave the letters. You are going to a house with a parcel for christ sake take the bloody letter for that house more profit!!!!

Problem is you'll need to prep the entire duty before you leave the DO and then go through the frame to pull out the post for addresses you've got parcels for, then at the other end pull out the post when you deliver the parcel. If you're covering two rural routes you'll have to do it for both duties. It's far quicker to just grab the parcels & 1C mail for both rounds. Although day 2 would be a nightmare as somebody will have to prep double mail and parcels and then deliver two days mail.

Think you’ve neatly summed up what a stupid idea it is. Most of us are not only putting in one walk, most of us have other walks to put in too. We’ll spend our life prepping rather than delivering the stuff

[TopperGas]

It wouldn't surprise me if we had some posties just working in doors on some days in the future, as if entire duties aren't going out on a daily basis then they can be prepped during the day.

[Mr Rush]

It wouldn't surprise me if we had some posties just working in doors on some days in the future, as if entire duties aren't going out on a daily basis then they can be prepped during the day.

I have a fantasy (a totally unworkable one I'm sure) where we're on the street in the morning while the mail gets processed through the MC to arrive in the DOs for the afternoon, whereupon we return to prep it for delivery the following morning. Stuff doesn't go out on time anyway, so what difference does it make leaving it to the next day?

With our 10AM+ PT starts looming it might become a reality to do a failed walk in the morning on OT before your start time. Since the office is never clear there always is work even before the first lorry arrives.

[Barnacle]

It wouldn't surprise me if we had some posties just working in doors on some days in the future, as if entire duties aren't going out on a daily basis then they can be prepped during the day.

I have a fantasy (a totally unworkable one I'm sure) where we're on the street in the morning while the mail gets processed through the MC to arrive in the DOs for the afternoon, whereupon we return to prep it for delivery the following morning. Stuff doesn't go out on time anyway, so what difference does it make leaving it to the next day?

With our 10AM+ PT starts looming it might become a reality to do a failed walk in the morning on OT before your start time. Since the office is never clear there always is work even before the first lorry arrives.

That doesn’t sound that nuts. Possibly that is their future plan. If it was it would offer a transition point to workers who have been physically knackered by walking for years. There are chaps at ours who are hobbling around in pain because the choice is either continue walking or leave. Surely those workers who want to remain at RM could transition to indoor work putting walks in when they arrive later and doing sorting. These are the guys with the knowledge of the areas so it would be idiotic to lose that experience by forcing them to continue doing ever increasing walks.