The BVI Post Office needs to focus on modernisation and technology if it is to stay viable, Postmaster Pasha Stoutt told lawmakers during the recent Standing Finance Committee deliberations in the House of Assembly.
Last year, the agency collected about $600,000 in revenue, but those funds did not fully cover its costs, Ms. Stoutt said, according to a report on the SFC proceedings. To make up for the shortfall, she suggested a “gradual” fee increase in the future.
The postal service is capable of delivering 80 percent of the mail it receives daily within two days, according to the SFC report. However, that record falls short of meeting the United Nation’s Universal Postal Union-recommended 90 percent mark, Ms. Stoutt explained.
Along with increasing its efficiency, the service has other plans that may help it reach international standards. Those include increasing the number of services it offers, Ms. Stoutt told the House.
The agency currently offers two services that could grow its subscriber base, according to the postmaster: the E-zone online ordering service, and Ameri-jet, which saw a boost in 2013.
“In 2014, we plan to have 1,200 more subscribers to the E-zone services, which will increase revenue,” Ms. Stoutt added.
The department also hopes to expand the Ameri-jet service, which currently deals with airfreight alone.
“I have been to meetings discussing and negotiating for the expansion into sea freight,” Ms. Stoutt told lawmakers.
The Ameri-jet division also plans to establish a “business centre unit” to provide services such as printing, scanning, copying, binding, e-mailing and faxing, according to the report.
Other planned initiatives include opening the Carrot Bay Post Office in the first quarter of this year.
Services to be provided there include Internet access and a retail centre, according to the SFC report.
But there is still work to be done before the office can open, including the installation of burglar bars and electrical works, as well as painting and cleaning, Ms. Stoutt said.
Security
To comply with international standards, more also needs to be done to tighten security, according to postal consultant Herbert Niles, who also addressed the HOA.
International standards mandate that mail must be properly checked for illegal substances before being placed on aircrafts.
To date, the VI is not up to date with standards that ensure mail is “clean” before it is placed on an aircraft, according to the consultant.
In fact, the United States recently detected “a number of recent situations” where packages containing drugs were being sent from the US to the Virgin Islands, Mr. Niles told the House.
Attempts to reach the postmaster for comment were unsuccessful.
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