The Ethiopian Postal Service (EPS) is preparing to take over out of town mail deliveries by assigning its own vehicles to offer the services to regional and rural branches.

EPS has obtained financial assistance for the purchase of four Mitsubishi Coaster buses that have a 26 passenger capacity from the Universal Postal Union (UPU), the United Nations’ (UN) postal service. EPS presented a project document to the UPU on March 22, 2007. The UPU allocated three million Birr for the purchase of the buses and is facilitating their delivery through the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) office in Addis Abeba because it does not have an office in the country.
 

Bezabeh Asfaw, acting head of the Operations Department at EPS, told Fortune that the cost of the buses was not fully covered by UPU.
 

“EPS also made a contribution from its terminal dues, which it deposited with the Board of Trustees of UPU,” said Bezabeh.
 

The delivery of mail is outsourced by EPS to private transporters which were paid 25 cents a kilogram to deliver mail out of Addis Abeba.

“The money that you earn is not really worth the trouble of having to carry government property,” said Tameru Ayalew, a bus owner that has been delivering mail for more than five years now. “But the law says that we have to do it, so we do.”

In 1958, during the Imperial government, a proclamation was ratified that obligated transporters to carry mail to and from their destinations. They deliver the mail to a postal worker that meets them at the terminal where they stop.

“Sometimes the mail collectors are not there, and 25 Br a quintal is not really big money, so this is a relief,” said Tameru.

He added that he would be able to earn 70 Br for a quintal of luggage.

Although it is eventually planning to handle the entire national network on its own, EPS will gradually ease into it by beginning with the Addis-Awassa and Addis-Bahir Dar routes.
 

The reason that it chose the passenger vehicles is to cover the expenses of the buses and not to turn a profit, according to Bezabeh.

“Additional expenses will be incurred with the decision to deliver mail through EPS, so supplementary income was necessary to cover them,” he said. “Transporting passengers and mail at the same time is killing two birds with one stone; the money collected from fares paid by the passengers can cover these expenses.”
 

The 121-year-old EPS is making the move into mail transportation in order to improve the quality of its services.

Johnny Ayele, head of the Public Relations Department at EPS, told Fortune that using private transporters sometimes compromises the quality of the mail and the delivery times.

“Mail is placed with charcoal and food stuffs sometimes and envelopes have been known to go missing,” said Johnny. “This way we can adhere to stricter standards in a more reliable and secure manner.”
 

In addition to providing postal service, EPS sells mobile cards, stamps and DV Lottery coupons. It also pays pension based on the agent mandate given to it by the Ethiopian Social Security Agency.

EPS, established in 1886, has 1,300 employees and 880 postal offices across the country. Out of its 880 offices, 63 deliver Express Mail Service (EMS).