DHL Express believes the “jogging” couriers it has teamed up with prior to the start of theLondon Olympics this Friday will be key to making sure its international customers get their
critical shipments to and from London on time despite the traffic problems likely to arise duringthe event.In cooperation with JogPost, the leaflet distribution company using joggers for door-to-doordelivery of marketing materials, DHL Express aims to tackle several of the main logisticalchallenges during the games, including road congestion and blocking of certain areas.
With some routes only accessible for the participants of the games, the jogging couriers havebeen deployed to manoeuvre around traffic congestion and access those areas temporarily blocked, asincreased security and an additional 5.3 million visitors in London make delivery more difficult.In this situation, DHL believes the jogging couriers will be the fastest and most efficient way toensure punctual pick-ups and deliveries for its customers.
The running couriers will not only deliver shipments directly from DHL Express Service Centresin London, but will also team up with driving couriers for the final mile delivery of shipments toimpacted areas. DHL Express stressed that it customers located in high-traffic areas surroundingthe Olympic and Paralympic Route Networks will continue to receive regular collections with minimaldisruption.
Ian Clough, CEO of DHL Express in the USA, said: “Traffic is estimated to increase on London’score pickup and delivery routes by more than 30%, so this carbon-efficient method provides theperfect solution to the issue of congestion. By using innovative delivery methods, we can maintainbest-in-class delivery performance, despite the heightened traffic and activity expected from thegames,” he added.
Throughout the games, DHL Express will have a dedicated Operations Control Centre working aroundthe clock to constantly monitor issues, such as changes to the network and localised congestion.This provides more flexibility, claimed DHL, with the company able to instantly adapt its networkplans and maintain service quality. DHL Express Service Centres in London will also operate withextended business hours, ensuring customers can send and pick up shipments at a time mostconvenient for them, the company added.
Kevin Turner, Managing Director of JogPost Courier, commented: “We are pleased to partner withDHL on such an innovative delivery solution for what will be a challenging time for some businessesin the city of London.”
