1,000 parcel locker stations to be rolled out islandwide by end-2022, Latest Singapore News - The New Paper
Singapore

1,000 parcel locker stations to be rolled out islandwide by end-2022

This article is more than 12 months old

Online shoppers will soon be able to collect their packages from parcel locker stations located within a five-minute walk of Housing Board blocks.

This nationwide network of 1,000 stations will be progressively rolled out by end-2022 starting this year, and will ease the woes of a delivery sector hit by the rise of e-commerce.

Stations will be located in HDB estates, MRT stations and community centres. The initiative was announced by Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information Sim Ann yesterday.

"In Singapore, the popularity of e-commerce has led to a steady increase in parcel deliveries. But given Singapore's urban context and consumers' busy lifestyles, doorstep deliveries often mean missed deliveries," said Ms Sim during the debate on the Ministry of Communications and Information's budget.

"Our postal infrastructure must evolve to offer practical alternatives to doorstep deliveries."

Ms Sim was replying to Nominated MP Mohamed Irshad's question on the future of post.

The network will be available for use by all e-commerce and logistics service providers. Each station will feature lockers of different sizes to accommodate most packages.

The number of lockers at each station is not yet finalised, but it is likely to vary across districts due to different demographics.

Couriers deposit parcels into the lockers by scanning a barcode. An SMS notification is then sent to the consumer with a personal identification number, which has to be input to retrieve the package.

The nationwide roll-out follows a successful trial launched in December 2018 by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA).

IMDA worked with 18 companies, including platforms such as Qoo10 and Zalora and logistics service providers such as Singapore Post (SingPost), to deploy 62 locker stations in Punggol and Bukit Panjang.

250 PARCELS A DAY

Results from the pilot showed that a driver was able to deliver up to 250 parcels a day to the lockers, about four times more compared with doorstep deliveries.

This increased efficiency may result in more competitive delivery prices for consumers, Ms Sim added.

Air steward Lim Chee Keong, 48, was among those who benefited from the 2018 trial. The Bukit Panjang resident said he collects purchases from locker stations about once a month.

"It's very convenient because I don't have to plan my schedule around when the delivery guy comes. I can even go after midnight if I want," he said.

The rise of e-commerce has put tremendous pressure on Singapore's delivery sector, with about 200,000 parcels delivered daily.

SingPost was hit with a record $400,000 fine last year for failing to meet government delivery standards for postal services over the previous two years. It attributed the lapses largely to the growth of e-commerce, which had strained a postal system built primarily for letters.

COMMUNITY ISSUES