BENGALURU: The proposal by the Bengaluru Postal department to use the eco-friendly Yulu e-bikes to deliver letters and parcels across the city has been dropped. The step, launched at the JP Nagar sub-post office on a pilot basis, on October 14 last year was to be extended across Bengaluru if it proved to be financially viable.
A senior postal official said, "We have worked out the costs in detail. The amount involved in using the Yulu vehicle a month for a delivery person worked out to around Rs 5,500 as compared to around Rs 1,500 incurred as fuel costs on a regular two-wheeler. It is financially not viable for us."
Unlike in the case of other Yulu users who may need it for a couple of hours, our delivery staff may need it for six to eight hours per day. "This along with charges incurred on battery recharge makes it expensive for us," he added. Postal delivery personnel are given Rs 1,500 as monthly conveyance allowance while Grameen Dak Sevaks are given Rs 1,063 for the same.
Launched six months ago with 15 postal delivery staff in the Bengaluru Postal Region it became the first in India to use e-vehicles for deliveries. Asked about it, a spokesperson for Yulu said, "We're still keen on taking our partnership forward."