Recently, there has been a great deal of discussion
regarding which method of delivery is better. On one hand, there is door-to-door
and curbside delivery, which has been around for many years. On the other hand,
there is cluster box unit delivery, which is already common in apartments, but
not in neighborhoods with individual homes. Yet door to door delivery is
something that has been phased out in other countries, and could be phased out
in America as well. Today we are going to look at the pros and cons of making a
switch to CBUs.
Cluster Box Units
(CBUs)
A cluster box unit, also known as a CBU, is a single
structure that holds multiple individual’s mail. This type of mail delivery is
very common with apartments. A letter carrier gets access to the entire unit
and is able to deliver multiple people’s mail in one place. This way, a mail
carrier can deliver a handful of people’s mail at once instead of walking from
door to door. This unit is placed in a centralized location to be accessed by
many people.
Door-to-Door and
Curbside
Both door-to-door and curbside delivery has been commonplace
for a very long time. Door-to-door and curbside both see letter carriers
delivering mail to individual homes. The only difference is with door-to-door,
they must walk to each door while with curbside, letter carriers can often
drive from mailbox to mailbox. Curbside is fairly common in more rural areas
with rural letter carriers, but is also in cities.
Pros
The biggest pro to switching to CBUs is that it will save a
great deal of money. According to the USPS, CBUs will cost $160 per address a
year, versus curbside which is $224 and door-to-door which is $353. That is a
huge cost difference. This is because letter carriers are using less gas, their
vehicles are lasting longer, and mail delivery takes less time.
Another great pro for CBUs is security. With standard
residential mailboxes, there is no type of lock. Mail can easily be accessed by
any individual that thinks to open the mailbox. This can lead to stolen mail
and sometimes even stolen identity. With a CBU, the only people with a way in
are the letter carriers and the individual’s who have a key for their mailbox.
Cons
A big flaw with CBUs is that while many people can walk a
block to retrieve their mail, individuals who are elderly or disabled often
have a much harder time. This is even truer in inclement weather, such as rain
and snow. It could lead to this demographic getting hurt, though some have
proposed that if CBUs are installed there should be exceptions for the disabled
and elderly.
Another flaw is that CBUs have an initial cost that is fairly
expensive. Not only that, but it is not entirely clear who would be responsible
for maintaining the CBU. This includes not only keeping snow away from them,
but keeping them in working order.
One of the biggest concerns that have arisen in other countries
is the actual placement of the CBUs. Many believe that CBUs will end up being
placed in areas that are unsafe for individuals to access. This is an issue
that has been raised many times in Canada as CBUs are installed. Many people
worry about safety from passing cars, or the neighborhood itself.
So as you can see, there are pros and cons to installing
CBUs instead of using door-to-door delivery or curbside delivery. If the cons
of cluster box units are considered and addressed, they can be a great cost efficient
method of handling mail delivery.
