The number of orange postal boxes is decreasing in the Czech Republic. Czech Post operates 18,406 boxes, which is 1,000 fewer than last year when the count stood at 19,469. Compared to 2018, the decrease is even more significant, with almost 3,000 boxes removed. At that time, Czech Post managed a total of 21,248 packages.
Matyáš Vitík, a spokesperson for Czech Post, confirmed that the utilization of postal boxes continues to decline due to reduced volumes of mailed letters. The book has been decreasing by approximately 12% annually. Consequently, Czech Post recently removed a box at a Kaufland store in Louny.
Another contributing factor to the reduced usage of post boxes is that not all newsagents sell postage stamps today. This makes it easier for individuals to send postcards from the post office instead. Moreover, for important documents, people often ship them via registered mail from a post office to receive proof of sending.
Vitík explains that the distribution and placement of postal boxes adhere to legislation, specifically the decree from 2012. According to this regulation, municipalities with up to ten thousand residents must have at least one package per thousand people. In larger communities, a box should be within a maximum distance of one kilometer. However, the decree allows some flexibility, particularly in sparsely populated areas.
Czech Post has been closing down three hundred branches since July, and the list of closures has already been finalized. However, twenty-one municipalities negotiated the replacement of a closed unit with another. Despite this, the overall number of closed branches remains the same. The closure of branches has faced opposition from most towns and districts, but in many cases, even negotiations for an exchange were unsuccessful. Prague and the Central Bohemian Region have not seen any changes in branch closures.