A document detailing the future vision of the U.S. Postal Service, known as the transformation plan, will be submitted to Congress on April 4, USPS Board of Governors chairman Robert F. Rider said at yesterday's board meeting.
Rider said that the plan “will provide the framework for how the postal service of the future will be reformed and revitalized to meet the changing needs of our customers, the American people, over the next 10 to 20 years. It is clear to all of us that the time for debating the need for reform is past.”
Congress and the General Accounting Office have requested that the postal service create a Comprehensive Transformation Plan outlining how the USPS intends to manage in the wake of changing global markets, new technologies and the need to deliver mail to an ever-increasing number of addresses.
While no details about the plan have been announced, insiders said it may include asking the Postal Rate Commission for more frequent and predictable rate increases. The plan also is expected to offer postage discounts to high-volume customers in exchange for more business or for presorted mail.
In other news, it was announced at the board meeting that the postal service is discontinuing its secure online messaging service.
The Post Electronic Courier Service, or PosteCS, is a global electronic document delivery service that enables users to securely send documents via the Internet. PosteCS is a cooperative venture of the U.S. Postal Service, La Poste of France, Canada Post Corp. and the International Post Corp.
The USPS is not accepting new orders for PosteCS and has begun a 60-day transition period for current customers. The other companies involved in the venture are still offering this service.
The USPS also plans to continue its review of current e-commerce services. A transition plan has been put in place to minimize any customer inconvenience this decision may bring.
