Nationwide locker system to be rolled out in Singapore next year: Tharman

A delivery locker system by Singapore Post to let customers collect parcels round-the-clock. A nation-wide parcel delivery locker system will be rolled out by the end of next year to make online shopping more convenient. PHOTO: ST FILE

SINGAPORE - A nationwide parcel delivery locker system will be rolled out by the end of next year to make online shopping more convenient.

Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam - who first announced the initiative in April this year - said the government is in the process of studying proposals for this locker system.

This is part of efforts to make "last-mile" delivery more efficient and improve productivity in the domestic logistics sector.

Mr Tharman, who was speaking at the opening ceremony of SingPost's regional e-commerce logistics hub in Tampines, said the "federated" locker system is just one of a few initiatives aimed at making the sector more efficient.

Another move involves consolidating goods deliveries both to and from shopping malls to reduce the number of delivery vehicles on Singapore's roads.

Goods vehicles take up almost a third of peak hour road space, Mr Tharman said.

The aim is to cut the number of such vehicles on the road during peak hours by 20 to 30 per cent within the decade.

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