Accessabilty in the Postal network - PTS-ER:37

26/10/2006

One of the 2006 Government missions to the National Post and Telecom Agency (PTS) is to undertake a study of the postal network of the Swedish USP following the signing of a second term agreement between Sweden Post (Posten AB) and its partners providing postal services in outlets. In this report PTS makes an account of the developments in the postal network in the last few years with emphasis on access issues.

Sweden Post’s service network is structured in three different levels, combining franchised postal outlets with service points under its own management which are called business centres (företagscenter). It is noticed in the report that the number of service points has increased substantially but this increase has mainly reference to those postal outlets just selling stamps and envelopes, frimärksombud, (ca. 2 000 in 2006). The number of service points where the customers may collect and send parcels remains virtually unchanged compared to the figures obtained for the previous PTS study from 2004. Today there are 1 631 postombud and 381 företagscenter – implying a small increase of the former category and a slight decrease of the latter.

The contents in the new agreements concluded have changed little. Above all, it’s a matter of elucidations concerning requirements for disability adaptation of postal outlets as a condition for future co-operation with Sweden Post. It is also requested that a person in the outlet is appointed as in charge of postal issues and thereby responsible for the training of the rest of the staff. The conclusion drawn by PTS is that Sweden Post’s service network still is in compliance with the regulations issued by the Government concerning the universal service obligation.

The most serious deficiency in the new postal network structured 2001/-02 was poor access for disabled people to the postal outlets above all for those confined to wheelchairs. The present report gives an account of Sweden Post’s project for adapting these outlets but also the difficulties encountered in this respect. The process of adaptation has not yet been concluded but is well under progress, giving the PTS reason to believe that the Government’s goals for the national disability policy will be met by 2010.