CEN/TR 15735:2008

• Abstract:

  This Technical Report takes into account the existing systems for measuring access to postal services and the targets that are already in use in member states. To get an understanding of the existing systems regarding population coverage, a questionnaire entitled “Methodology for the Measurement of Distance to postal Access Points” was circulated to postal operators and postal regulators (see Annex A).

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 30-Sep-2008
• ICS: 03.240 - Postal services
• Technical Committee: CEN/TC 320 - Transport - Logistics and services
• Drafting Committee: CEN/TC 331/WG 1 - Quality of service
• Current Stage: 9060 - Closure of 2 Year Review Enquiry - Review Enquiry
• Start Date: 03-Jun-2024
• Completion Date: 03-Jun-2024
• Mandate: M/312 - Standardization mandate addressed to the CEN in the field of the postal services and equipment
• Ref Project: SIST-TP CEN/TR 15735:2008 - Postal services - Quality of service - Distance to access points

Overview

CEN/TR 15735:2008 - "Postal services - Quality of service - Distance to access points" is a CEN Technical Report produced by CEN/TC 331. The report documents existing national approaches and measurement systems for assessing access to postal services (postal outlets and collection letterboxes) across member states. It summarizes legislative options, practical measurement methods and data sources, and reports results from a questionnaire circulated to postal operators and regulators (Annex A–C). The work supports the Postal Directive’s requirements for Universal Service access and helps stakeholders compare national practices for access-network density and population coverage.

Key topics

• Scope and purpose
  • Reviews systems used to measure distance to postal access points and the targets used by Member States.
  • Collates responses from a questionnaire on methodology and data availability.
• Legislative approaches
  • Types of legal requirements reported: minimum number of access points, maximum distance thresholds, town-size or per‑municipality rules.
  • Variation between national, regional and local rules; special provisions for urban vs rural areas.
• Measurement methods
  • Distance metrics in use: straight-line distance, road distance, travel-time or delivery-route distance; inclusion/exclusion of post‑boxes and full-service outlets.
  • Use of allowances for natural barriers (mountains, rivers, lakes).
  • Measurement frequency: regular intervals or ad hoc assessments.
• Data and GIS
  • Availability of population density and geographical information (postcode areas, census units, GIS) to support coverage calculations.
  • Practical alternatives to pure distance metrics, such as population-based indicators and geographic stratification.
• Limitations and conclusions
  • Wide variability across countries makes a single harmonized measurement system impractical.
  • Report recommends countries without systems consult comparable national approaches (see Table 1).

Applications

• Who uses this report
  • Postal operators and Universal Service Providers assessing network design and outlet rationalization.
  • National regulators and policymakers setting or reviewing access-density rules.
  • GIS analysts and consultants implementing distance- and population-based coverage models.
• Practical uses
  • Designing measurement methodologies for local or national access coverage.
  • Comparing national regulatory frameworks and identifying best practices.
  • Informing impact assessments when proposing outlet closures or service changes.

Related work

• Prepared by CEN/TC 331 (Postal services); linked to the Postal Directive and measurement activities (PT8) on quality of access and delivery. Stakeholders introducing measurement systems can use this Technical Report as a reference catalogue of methods, indicators and data sources.

Keywords: CEN/TR 15735:2008, postal services, quality of service, distance to access points, access network density, postal outlets, collection letterboxes, measurement methodology, GIS, population coverage.