The 2013 Europa theme is Postal vehicles. We have chosen to feature a Toyota Auris Hybrid delivery car. Being a silent-running model with no combustion when standing, this eco-friendly car offers several advantages for the environment.
In recent years, Åland Post has actively committed itself to the environment. We were environmentally certified by DNV (Det Norske Veritas) according to the ISO 14001:2004 standard in November 2011. As part of our environmental focus, we have obtained four eco-friendly cars of the type Toyota Auris Hybrid and were thus first in Finland to use full hybrid eco-cars for delivery service!
Two advantages of the Auris are that it can be obtained with the steering wheel placed to the right and offers good ergonomics for mail delivery purposes. To emphasize the eco-friendliness, the cars were taped with a decoration illustrating growing green grass. The cars are used for delivery in various parts of Mariehamn.
In some delivery districts, the Post also makes us of electric bicycles, an even more eco-friendly alternative than cars. One of the advantages of e-bikes is that heavier loads of mail can be loaded on the bicycle without adding physical strain on the mail delivery person. An electric automatic transmission starts working when the bicyclist starts pedalling the e-bike, hence facilitating the work.