Coronavirus: Courier company facing 5 day backlog wants anyone with a car to deliver

08/05/2020

Courier company Aramex New Zealand wants to contract anyone with a car and a driver's licence to become a contact-less delivery driver to keep up with "phenomenal" demand.

Aramex New Zealand, formerly Fastway, has set up a new Uber-like app called Blu Couriers, which enabled people to deliver couriers within their neighbourhood or suburb, as the company faces a five-day backlog.

Its chief executive Scott Jenyns said the company was targeting students, retirees and stay at home parents, as it aimed to increase its 300 drivers 10-fold.

"The spike in demand has been phenomenal. Everyday we're 100 per cent up over the same volumes last year," Jenyns said.

Jenyns said in the early stages of Covid-19 lockdown parcel volumes were about 30 per cent of a normal day but by Anzac weekend it had jumped up 200 per cent. "I've been doing this for 20 years and have never seen anything like this."

Jenyns said Aramex was handling more freight than at its peak season which was around Christmas.

"It's great for business but it's certainly putting pressure on residential deliveries especially in our large centres Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch."

Drivers could expect to earn about $2 per delivery, and typically start their day off with about 50 parcels, he said.

Blu Courier was targeting students, stay at home parents and retirees to earn extra cash.

But Jenyns said drivers had the flexibility to choose what hours they worked and how many deliveries they made.

"Generally people do about six to eight hours, but it's up to drivers."

Jenyns said after completing training modules online on contact-less deliveries and having their driver's licences validated, drivers could start working within two days.

He said while there was hand sanitiser available at pick up stations, as drivers were operating as franchisees, they could also contact the head office for PPE supplies.

Jenyns said he was aware of reports of drivers being verbally abused by customers due to late deliveries but Covid-19 restrictions had impacted the speed of deliveries.

"There's a lot of slander towards our industry in general. I can understand the frustrations of people when their ordered something online and it's not been delivered to their usual standard.

"But first and foremost our people and the public are kept safe, hence why there is a significant lag in deliveries coupled with the extreme demand."