The role of PTS includes supervising postal operators and monitoring that their business operations satisfy these requirements. One specific part of this supervision includes monitoring compliance with the requirement imposed on Posten AB stipulating that postage rates must be reasonable and uniform throughout the country and that pricing is to remain within certain pre-determined frameworks. There are also special requirements stating that Posten AB must report actual despatch times and the number of complaints received as well as how these were dealt with.
When PTS’s supervision gives reason to comment on errors, faults or inadequacies, the Agency presupposes that operators will take the necessary measures on their own initiative. However, PTS also has the powers to issue orders, which may be imposed under penalty of a fine, and to revoke licences. When a matter pertaining to the application of the Postal Services Act needs to be regulated generally, PTS has the option of issuing regulations.
A letter which cannot be distributed due to an incomplete or incorrect address and which also lacks the address of the sender on the envelope is undeliverable. PTS has a section in Kiruna that deals with all undeliverable mail. Each year, approximately 300 000 letters arrive here. Of these, it is possible to return around 40 per cent to the addressor. Letters that cannot be returned are kept by PTS for two months (e.g. postage due mail/surcharged letters) or four months (other mail), including the month of arrival. After this time, the mail becomes the property of the State and is destroyed or sold, i.e. written messages are destroyed and contents other than money are sold, respectively.
PTS continues to participate in standardisation work in the area of postal services which is run nationally and internationally and the aim of which is to achieve improved prerequisites for customers and stakeholders alike in the postal market.