The courier company TNT Express has launched its first mobile branch. The goal of this innovative solution is to increase the efficiency of courier operations while relieving the congested city center. The experiment will last for at least three months.
The mobile branch is located in Brussels, near Parc du Cinquantenaire – a park in the central-eastern part of the city. Parcels are delivered to customers by electric three-wheeled vehicles – tricycles. They have replaced three trucks that previously served the districts of Schaarbeek, Etterbeek, and Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, covering a route of 900 km each week. Changing the means of transport means relieving the city center and reducing CO2 emissions and noise.
The new branch is a specially designed trailer with adapted equipment, serving as a warehouse and sorting point. It is divided into four sections: loading, unloading, sorting, and office. The branch, which can hold 11 containers, is equipped with a special lift to facilitate the loading and unloading of parcels.
Every day, the mobile branch travels from the TNT transshipment center at Brussels Airport to the Cinquantenaire Park. During transport, the branch has the dimensions of a standard truck: 14 x 2.5 m. Once parked, it automatically expands to 14 x 6.5 m. Tricycles pick up parcels here and deliver them to recipients in the three mentioned districts. As a result, goods for shops and offices located in the congested districts are delivered faster than in the original model.
The operator of the tricycles is the company Ecopostale, and the entire venture is carried out as part of Straightsol – a project funded by the European Commission.