With fuel costs rising, what steps is the USPS taking to explore alternative fuel options?
Currently, we have 10 Ford Escape Hybrids that are working very well for us. We’re about to go into the fourth generation of the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle. We’re working in partnership with General Motors, and we’ll have one of those vehicles in the Washington, DC area and one in Irvine, California. We’re also looking at identifying routes that can be converted back to walking routes. We’re also looking at where we can use bicycles to deliver the mail. We already have bicycle routes in Florida and Arizona. On the operations side, we’re exploring ways to reduce our fuel consumption. We have software that optimizes letter carriers’ routes by reducing the number of left-hand turns, U-turns and park points made. By doing that, you reduce idle time and can lessen the fuel a driver would consume. Q: Why are green initiatives so important for the USPS right now? A: The postal service has a long history of environmental performance and green initiatives. We were recycling before recycling
