IMDA to roll out network of 1,000 parcel locker stations

Singapore

THE government is launching a nationwide network of parcel lockers - accessible to all e-commerce and logistics service providers - with the aim of having a locker station within five minutes' walk of every Housing Board block, said Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information Sim Ann in the ministry's Committee of Supply debate.

Starting from late-2020, the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) will roll out locker stations in HDB estates, MRT stations, and community centres, with the aim of 1,000 stations by end-2022.

The network will be owned by the IMDA, complementing existing commercial parcel lockers and doorstep deliveries. Around 200,000 parcels are delivered here daily, with e-commerce projected to grow at 12 to 20 per cent annually over the next five years, said Minister for Communications and Information S Iswaran.

"We must enhance Singapore's last-mile delivery infrastructure," he said. This is where the parcel locker network comes in, building on an earlier Locker Alliance pilot in Bukit Panjang and Punggol that saw participation by e-commerce marketplaces such as Qoo10 and Zalora.

Apart from greater access for residents, merchants and logistics service providers will enjoy greater delivery efficiency, which may result in more competitive delivery prices, said Ms Sim.

The IMDA has received support from e-commerce marketplaces such as Qoo10 and Shopee, and logistics service providers like Qxpress. It will also partner SingPost to leverage the latter's postal service experience.