POSTAL workers in East Oxford are going to work on an egg-shaped delivery vehicle — one of only two in the country.
The French-made Matra vehicle runs on electricity and for the past few weeks it has been used by postmen to deliver mail to students at Oxford Brookes University accommodation off Marston Road in Headington.
The distinctive-looking van has a top speed of 25mph, so postal workers at the East Oxford delivery office, in Ledgers Close, cannot take it on to the ring road in case they hold up other traffic.
Royal Mail fleet manager Craig Lightfoot said that if the three-month trial proved a success, the Matra model, which is also used on the Continent, could replace a fleet of Vauxhall Combo vans, which run on diesel.
Mr Lightfoot said: “Staff are very pleased with the Matra so far and we’re delighted to have one of only two in use in the country – the other is in Essex.
“When the Matra arrived, a big crowd of staff gathered round to take a look, and so far the response has been very positive.
“We’re looking at ways of becoming more environmentally-friendly, and these vehicles are well-suited to town deliveries.
“Some cycles could be phased out if postmen start sharing these vehicles in future.”
Father-of-two Vytenis Baltrusaitis, 32, from Cowley, has been driving the Matra to carry out his deliveries.
He said: “There’s no power steering and the vehicle is quite slow, but I don’t usually go on busy roads on my route, so the round doesn’t take any longer than it did before.
“Children wave at me in the street and some people even take pictures.
“The main thing is to remember to charge the vehicle when you get back to the delivery centre – you just plug it straight back in.”
The Matra has a range of 30 to 35 miles once it has been fully charged.
The vehicle is officially classed as a quadracycle, and like a motorbike is not legally required to display a front numberplate.
Mr Lightfoot estimated that the Matra would be about 35 per cent cheaper than a traditional diesel-engined van over the course of its lifetime, and its load space of about 80 cubic feet matched the Vauxhall’s.
He added that the electric vehicle cost the equivalent of a new hatchback car, compared to the £10,000 cost of the Vauxhall Combo, but this did not take into account modifications made to the Matra, including cab doors to cope with winter weather.
Mr Lightfoot said: “We have about 19 Vauxhall vans in our fleet here, so ultimately the Matra could replace them.”
Another type of electric postal van, with a top speed of 8mph – like those used by children’s TV character Postman Pat – hasbeen used for deliveries in parts of the city from Royal Mail House, off Oxpens Road, for at least six years.
