Invercargill posties check out Paxsters
As people post more packages but sent less snail mail, Invercargill could soon see posties driving little wagons instead of riding bikes around the city.
Two ’’Paxsters’’ have been sent to the deep south for New Zealand Post and Invercargill City Council staff to check out.
Paxsters are small vehicles which look a bit like a golf cart.
Fully electric, they can carry up to 200kg, can be charged on a standard wall socket, and their battery lasts up to 90km.
The rollout of the vehicles began in July in Oamaru and early August on Auckland’s North Shore.
New Zealand Post chief operating officer, customer service delivery Mark Stewart said previous trials had shown Paxsters were safe to use on the footpath, and drivers were given safety training.
‘‘These vehicles are an investment in New Zealand Post’s future as we change the way we deliver to meet the growing demand for parcel deliveries.
‘‘They’re also environmentally friendly, which is important to us and our customers.’’
‘‘Within the next two years we plan to have 500 Paxsters in operation, which we believe will be the largest fleet of road legal, fully electric vehicles in New Zealand.’’
A New Zealand post spokesman said no decisions had yet been made as to whether the Paxsters would be rolled out in Invercargill.
‘‘We’re still in talks with the [Invercargill City] council on our proposal to use the Paxsters in Invercargill.
‘‘We’ve got two of the vehicles at our delivery branch for staff, and the local council, to take a look at.’’
The Paxsters are produced in Norway.
The NZ Transport Agency has approved the Paxsters to operate on public roads, but left the issue of public footpath use up to individual councils.