Mercedes-Benz Sprinter is first past the post

Five new Mercedes-Benz vans are bringing the Post Office to the doorsteps of rural communities in England and Wales.

The Sprinter 313CDIs have been kitted out by VFS, of Eastleigh, Hampshire, as mobile Post Offices – each has desks and a counter from which staff can offer the full range of Post Office services to residents of remote villages and settlements.

Three of the vehicles are now at work – one on the Lleyn Peninsula in north-east Wales, one in North Yorkshire, and one in an area south of Bristol. The two remaining Sprinters are contingency vehicles and provide cover where needed.

Mobile Concept Manager Steve Fox said: “These vehicles are designed to provide the communities they serve with everything you’d find in a Post Office.”

Each vehicle is typically visiting five or six locations in a week, stopping for at least an hour on a minimum of two occasions. Using mobile telecommunications technology, they are able to offer financial assistance with, for example, bill payments, as well as the familiar range of over-the-counter services, including foreign currency, travellers’ cheques and driving licence applications.

Mr Fox continued: “The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter was chosen for this role because, as well as being the ideal size for the interior conversion, it has a first-class reputation reliability and safety.

“Its low-emission Euro 5 engine also offers excellent fuel economy and ‘green’ credentials – other divisions in the Royal Mail Group run large numbers of Sprinters on their fleets and they are proving to be extremely efficient performers.”

And he added: “The fact that the Sprinter also offers excellent value for money was another point in its favour, and we expect to get at least six years’ hard work from our new vans.”

For more information, visit postoffice.co.uk.