Summary: Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO examined the Postal Service's (USPS) mail delivery procedures in White Plains, New York, to determine: (1) how successful USPS was in implementing planned actions; and (2) whether those actions effectively eliminated late mail delivery.
GAO found that, although USPS took actions to improve the delivery problems, it did not make deliveries on schedule. The office hired additional carriers to help case mail, which reduced by 30 to 60 minutes the time certain carriers were late leaving the office. USPS has national delivery standards and local operating plans but it does not have criteria for judging whether carrier delivery to individual businesses and households is late. The White Plains post office has proposed to: (1) expand and intensify the casing assistance routers provide; (2) use routers to help carriers deliver mail; (3) have the mail processing unit begin each workday earlier and finish sorting earlier; (4) have carriers on routes with businesses start their workday earlier; and (5) adjust some routes. However, USPS sectional center officials must approve the proposal before the post office can implement it.
