Central Plains Postal District Tied for Tops in Nation for On-time Mail Delivery

Employees of the Central Plains District of the Postal Service delivered a record tying 98 percent of overnight First-Class Mail on-time between April – June 2008. That’s one point better than the national average, which climbed to a record 97 percent. The Central Plains District joins 12 other postal districts, who lead the nation at 98 percent.

First-Class Mail performance is measured independently by IBM Global Business Services. The review measures First-Class Mail from the time it is deposited into a collection box or lobby mail chute until it is delivered to a home or business.

“These record delivery levels are the direct result of employees working as a team to provide excellent service to our customers,” said USPS Central Plains District Manager Michael C. Holloway. “Now, more than ever, our customers can count on the Postal Service to meet their shipping and mailing needs.”

The Central Plains District, which covers Nebraska, southwest Iowa, and the majority of Kansas, tied for first nationally with 12 other postal districts at 98 percent. The districts are: Northern Virginia, Arkansas, North Florida, Big Sky (the state of Montana), Baltimore, Fort Worth, Suncoast (western central Florida from Tampa/St. Petersburg to Ft. Myers), Dakotas, Greater South Carolina, Mid-Carolinas, Mid-America (northwest Missouri to the south, central and southeastern Missouri, and eastern Kansas).

“We are committed to providing our customers with the best possible mail service. Our scores remain strong and we’ll continue striving to make them even better,” said Holloway.

Since May, prices for Express Mail, the Postal Service’s premier overnight service, are lower at the weights and in the delivery zones used by most customers. The Postal Service also offers price incentives for both Express Mail and Priority Mail, its two- to three-day shipping service. Online users and commercial Priority Mail customers will see lower prices, while high-volume Express Mail shippers will get quarterly rebates and price reductions.

An audio news release on this topic is available in the newsroom at usps.com

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Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/welcome.htm.

An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that visits every address in the nation — 146 million homes and businesses. It has 37,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses, not tax dollars. The Postal Service has annual revenues of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail.