I’m sporting a bright-yellow DHL T-shirt, jogging alongside Saaed, a student. He is schlepping a parcel-filled rucksack; I have one letter in my hand. Saaed bounds ahead.
This is my experience as a DHL foot courier. One of the world’s biggest logistics firms is so concerned about London’s roads snarling up during the Olympics that it’s hiring running mail and parcel deliverers. DHL distributes 50,000 pieces of mail in London daily and is hiring 100 extra staff to cope with the road closures and traffic jams.
Francis Ktenidis, regional director of DHL Express, says: “The city is going to be rammed: running couriers will help us get through it.”
DHL’s London parcel joggers include semi-professional footballers and Territorial Army soldiers. They will travel in vans to deliver parcels for their final mile in congested areas or places with no access for vehicles.
At the office, I hop in a DHL van to return to its Wapping base. Saaed jogs back. Reaching the depot, thanks to one-way streets and a hold-up near Tower Bridge, Saaed has got there first. I can see running deliverers being the best innovation to come out of the Olympics.
