The UK's second-biggest delivery group TNT Post, re-naming itself as "whistl", experiments with device to speed up service
whistl tnt express
The technology is being trialled in three cities
The days of the postman weaving through traffic on his pushbike are numbered, according to the UK's second-biggest delivery company.
TNT Post has begun training staff in use of the AirWheel, an electric unicycle with a top speed of 12mph and a 20-mile range.
It says it plans to roll the technology out if a trial with 100 posties in London, Manchester, Birmingham and Liverpool is successful.
The AirWheel, a contraption with two steps and an internal balancing mechanism, is legally allowed to travel on pavements and other pedestrian routes.
The device, which comes at a cost of between £510 and £800 each, re-charges when travelling downhill.
The trial was announced as TNT Post, which has been a thorn in the side of Royal Mail since it began delivering in 2012, re-named itself as "whistl".
"We are committed to ongoing efficiency and if the trial proves successful then the AirWheel will be adopted by whistl Posties across the UK," said its chief executive Nick Wells.
The group, which currently employs around 3,000 delivery workers in the UK, has ambitions for a nationwide network of 20,000 posties in five years' time.
However, it faces a legal challenge from Royal Mail, which claims its practice of "cherry-picking" the most lucrative and concentrated delivery locations puts the Universal Service Obligation at risk.
Whether the AirWheel will strike a blow to Amazon's plans to deliver by drone, meanwhile, is another matter.
