Matt Wunderlich spotted a scooter-powered postal carrier on Beacon Street in Brookline this morning.
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Comments
USPS
By cybah
Fri, 08/02/2019 - 12:06pm
This pic makes me ask.. why hasn't the USPS gotten on this craze yet. They are always about eco friendly mobility, and I am sure their carriers would love not to walk all the time.
(although I got my bud Ryan who has massive legs now from being a carrier)
Because they would fall.
By Pete Nice
Fri, 08/02/2019 - 12:39pm
They go on workers comp, disability, the union would fight it, workers would be having "crashes", no helmet in this photo, what happens if they go the wrong way or are "at fault" in a crash,
The list goes on and on as to why the USPS will probably never use these. Don't get me wrong, this is a fun photo and I hope the worker doesn't get in trouble, but I'm guessing this worker might be spoken to if a boss sees the photo.
Use of motor vehicles
By anon
Fri, 08/02/2019 - 1:03pm
They crash. Occupants not wearing helmets. Costs lots of money in comp.
Kills more cops than bad guys, too.
They drive cars
By cybah
Fri, 08/02/2019 - 1:23pm
They drive cars. Your argument could be used for cars also. Just replace scooter with "car" and there you go.
They could do the same with scooters like they do with cars. Get an insurance policy to cover them, have rules to use them, and be done with it.
Its not that hard.
Injury rate is important
By ScottB
Fri, 08/02/2019 - 1:37pm
And I'd be willing to bet that the rate of injuries vs. miles traveled is a fair bit higher than it is for a car/postal delivery vehicle. Some of the issues could likely be ameliorated, of course, by requiring letter carriers to use helmets and other appropriate protective gear (i.e. knee/elbow pads, wrist guards, etc.).
It isn't that hard to ride a scooter I agree
By Pete Nice
Fri, 08/02/2019 - 1:39pm
But it is very hard to implement something like this into your work force.
And cars are different. We give driver's licenses for those. How are you going to test to see if you can drive a scooter? What if someone can walk straight but can't balance? What if an injury prevents them from using a scooter but not from walking and what if that injury happened on the job? Does the person who finishes his route on the scooter get to go home at the end of the day if he is done or does he get more mail?
How many helmets are you going to buy and how much is that going to cost? What are the scooters going to cost? Is the cost/balance for late mail worth it?
Insurance policy for scooters? That is tens of millions of dollars for a country wide program. I don't know how many "mailmen" there are, but there are 500k postal employees and I'm assuming most are in the field.
What concession are you going to give the union and how much is the training going to cost?
Again, looks easy, but isn't.
Do they wear helmets when driving postal trucks?
By spin_o_rama
Fri, 08/02/2019 - 3:29pm
After all, over half of all reported traumatic brain injuries are the result of an automobile crash.
Helmets aren’t even about safety...
By Pete Nice
Fri, 08/02/2019 - 7:32pm
But you can bet if there is a crash and the operator isn’t wearing one, liability will be an issue.
In France
By MostlyHarmless
Fri, 08/02/2019 - 6:36pm
Most of the mail carriers in towns use ebikes. It just makes sense.
Insurance
By Old Groucho
Fri, 08/02/2019 - 12:59pm
And these things are more dangerous than a drunk prep school kid on a Puch weaving in an out of traffic on the Vineyard
Small, electric, "Kei car" styled vehicles that aren't electric skateboards of death are probably better suited for urban environments and exactly why we'll never get them.
The USPS still uses Grumman's that were obsolete over 25 years ago, and instead of thinking ahead to a new type of vehicle, decided to spend HALF A BILLION GENUINE AMERICAN DOLLARS on making those dangerous tin cans somewhat useable for a couple more years.
If it makes sense, then you can count on the USPS to not have any part of it. Mostly this is by design as the impetus to make our postal system better is nowhere near as powerful as Super PAC donations from FedEx and UPS.
The USPS didn't decide that
By anon
Fri, 08/02/2019 - 2:58pm
Like most things, politicians in the districts where those tin cans provide jobs decided that.
Doesn't the USPS generate it
By Flap Jack
Fri, 08/02/2019 - 3:46pm
Doesn't the USPS generate it's own revenue for equipment purchases?
Might as well piss and moan about UPS buying brown trucks.
They can use bikes or trikes.
Electric assist or not.
I think a testing protocol would be easy to design.
Road tests for auto drivers are a joke.
Most incompetent drivers can pass them.
I presume there is a USPS driver exam that is a little more challenging.
You would be wrong.
By dd808
Sat, 08/03/2019 - 9:36am
You would be wrong.
lol
By ChrisInEastie
Fri, 08/02/2019 - 7:31pm
Do you actually read what you write, out loud? /eyeroll
They could free up all of the
By ZachAndTired
Fri, 08/02/2019 - 1:00pm
They could free up all of the parking spaces on Beacon Street in Coolidge Corner that they fill with mail trucks too.
As long as that parking
By Pay for it
Fri, 08/02/2019 - 3:40pm
As long as that parking generates at least $10 per hour. Cheapskate car drivers.
This is USPS in the picture.
By Matt
Fri, 08/02/2019 - 4:16pm
This is USPS in the picture.
You know damn well the USPS
By Gloria warthen
Mon, 08/05/2019 - 8:58pm
You know damn well the USPS didn't comment that BS. Carriers would get hurt every day on those.
Not sure that's a mailMAN but ...
By cynical
Fri, 08/02/2019 - 12:12pm
still kinda cool.
Letter carrier
By anon
Fri, 08/02/2019 - 1:02pm
That term has been in use since the '70s.
"Letter carrier"
By Robo Rabbit
Fri, 08/02/2019 - 4:10pm
What if they're delivering envelopes with spreadsheets inside? Wouldn't that make them number carriers? Let's not get alphabet-chauvinistic here...
Yep
By adamg
Fri, 08/02/2019 - 2:54pm
Gender changed in headline after seeing some Facebook comments from people who know who she is.
Facebook Post
By FifiFelicity13
Fri, 08/02/2019 - 7:57pm
Is there a link to the post on Facebook?
Sorry, no
By adamg
Sat, 08/03/2019 - 1:18am
It wasn't in a public group.
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