{"id":74834,"date":"2024-06-28T16:55:33","date_gmt":"2024-06-28T06:55:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.railfreight.com\/?p=53913"},"modified":"2024-06-28T16:55:33","modified_gmt":"2024-06-28T06:55:33","slug":"collaborative-parcel-delivery-service-wepost-eyes-200000-rail-borne-parcels-this-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=74834","title":{"rendered":"Collaborative parcel delivery service WePost eyes 200,000 rail-borne parcels this year"},"content":{"rendered":"

Collaborative economy specialist WePost is looking to transport 200,000 B2C and C2C parcels this year on long-distance, high-speed (TGV) trains in France. The company aims to use a solution based on car-sharing, which sees rail passengers act as couriers between railway stations.<\/strong>
\n<\/span>Couriers can reduce the cost of their rail fare by 10 euros to 20 euros when carrying a WePost parcel. The Marseille-based start-up has around 30,000 rail passengers signed up as potential couriers on French high-speed passenger rail routes connecting major provincial cities and Paris.<\/p>\n

“It’s an environmentally friendly, zero-emission solution,” explained WePost’s co-founder Sophie Brette on French TV news channel BMTV. It also contributes to the decarbonisation of city-to-city express deliveries.<\/p>\n

Parcels for all, by all<\/h2>\n

The passenger\/carrier collects the parcel from a designated pick-up point in proximity to the railway station from which they are travelling. On arrival at their destination station, they deposit the parcel at a designated pick-up point close by.<\/p>\n

WePost’s partners use cargo bikes to take care of the last (and first) mile for business parcels. A QR code guarantees the transfer of responsibility at each stage of the parcel\u2019s transit, and identity documents must be presented together with a unique confidential code.<\/p>\n

The WePost service is pitched at private individuals and e-commerce retailers seeking same-day parcel delivery or within a few hours of a shipment order being placed.<\/p>\n

Small in volume and with a maximum weight of 10 kilos, the parcels contain items such as personal effects\u2014keys, passports, identity cards, and documents that need to be delivered urgently\u2014second-hand items, and e-commerce goods, including cosmetics and clothing, portable phones, accessories, and spare parts.<\/p>\n

Ready to go international<\/h2>\n

French ready-to-wear fashion retailer Kiabi recently joined WePost\u2019s 30+ e-commerce trader customer portfolio with parcels transported on high-speed rail services from Lille in northern France.<\/p>\n

WePost is also looking to expand its collaborative parcel delivery concept to international passenger rail services from France to Belgium, Switzerland, and Italy, for example. The longer-term objective is to set up a direct presence in these countries and others. Extending the service to standard inter-city passenger rail services is also being considered.<\/p>\n

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