As Royal Mail rolls out 3,500 new ‘futuristic’ postboxes, people in South Yorkshire have given a cautious response to the new tech.

Existing postboxes are being transformed, they will feature a solar panel that powers a barcode scanner, along with a larger drop down drawer for sending shoe box sized parcels (44cm x 35cm x 16cm).

The aim is to allow for effortless parcel drop offs at any time and to reduce the need for customers to visit the Post Office.

Florence Smith, who is an online seller for Vinted, said: “It will be very helpful for me as when I need to post a parcel quickly, I will be able to go down the road to the postbox rather than to the post office.”

However, some people are unhappy and becoming frustrated with the amount of time it is taking for the modernisation, leaving many with no local postbox.

Roy Granger said: “I think the postal service has all gone downhill, the postboxes have been taped up for so long now that I have had to start going to the post office anyway.”

To post a parcel, customers will have to scan the barcode on the label; the barcode scanner is powered by a solar panel, meaning the system is sustainable, the drawer will then open so they can deposit the parcel. 

Customers can also request proof of posting on the Royal Mail app, which has been updated to work with the new postboxes. 

In recent times, there has been a decrease in the amount of people using postboxes, with an annual rate of decline of 5% from 2005 to 2021, according to The Strategic Mailing Partnership.

Yasmin Rhodes said: “I tend not to post things now, it’s too expensive and takes too long, so the postboxes being changed doesn’t really bother me.”

Despite this, the number of parcels being sent has increased, with total parcel volumes increasing by 8.3% in 2023, according to Ofcom’s Post Monitoring Report 2023-24. 

Royal Mail says the ‘Postboxes of the future’ are designed to complement the 115,000 traditional postboxes located within a half mile of 98% of addresses, and not replace them, the rollout is to be completed by this Spring.