Foreigners’ mail link: Goa coast gets India’s 1st postal dept pick-up service on wheels

Panaji: The department of posts in Goa has launched a door-to-door foreign parcel collection service. Started on Jan 14 as a pilot project, the initiative aims to provide convenience for residents and tourists along Goa’s coastal belt.
“This is the first time a mobile postal van has been launched in the country, especially for the coastal belt,” said S V L N Rao, senior superintendent of post offices, Goa division. “Goa’s coastal belt has a large number of foreign tourists. We were sure that we would have a dedicated clientele.”
He added, “Until now, the nearest post office for them was at Siolim.”
The mobile van service, dedicated to the collection of foreign parcels, was met with enthusiastic response from domestic clients as well. The service collected 81 domestic parcels and 108 international parcels during its inaugural month, generating a revenue of Rs 4.4 lakh.
Feb registered even more success, with 148 domestic and 113 international parcels collected, bringing in a total revenue of Rs 6.1 lakh.
The mobile van starts its journey at 11am every day and culminates it at 4pm. It follows a single route starting from Candolim, proceeding towards Calangute, Anjuna, and Vagator before ending up at Morjim. A dedicated staff of two people help the foreigners with the process.
“Last year in May, we experimented with this system for a month. Based on the learnings from that, we decided to launch the pilot project this year,” Rao told TOI.
This initiative not only simplifies the process for people looking to send parcels abroad but also acts as a litmus test to gauge if the initiative can be expanded to other postal regions that may soon see similar van-based collection services.
As the pilot project continues to gain momentum, postal authorities are optimistic about its future. “The response has been encouraging so far, and we plan to continue the service till June,” Rao said. “If it remains successful, we might even consider expanding it to other parts of Goa.”