Delivery hubs to be examined in effort to cut parcel costs

Delivery charges for customers in Scotland were examined in a recent report by Citizens Advice Scotland

Transport Scotland will be asked to examine the possibility of creating collection hubs at ferry terminals as a way of making delivery charges cheaper.

Derek Mackay, minister for transport and islands, said he would ask the agency to work with other organisations to look at the potential of the hubs.

He made his comments in a debate on parcel delivery charges secured by Highlands and Islands MSP John Finnie.

The debate followed the latest study into charges applied to Scotland.

During the debate it was suggested that rather than make ferry journeys, delivery firms could hand parcels to ferry operators and then islanders would later pick up the items at ferry terminals.

Mr Mackay told the debate in the Scottish Parliament: "I am happy to get Transport Scotland to look at the suggestions around transport hubs and collection hubs."

Mr Finnie sought the debate following the release earlier this month of a report that suggested a million people living in rural Scotland continue to pay "unfair" delivery charges.

Citizens Advice Scotland had revisited the charges of 534 online retailers it surveyed in 2012.

Fewer were charging extra delivery costs than three years ago, but those who did impose a surcharge had increased the charges "substantially".

Consumers in the Highlands now pay 17.6% more than in 2012 and those in the islands pay 15.8% more, according to the CAS report The Postcode Penalty: The Distance Travelled.

It said the extra costs were causing hardship to a large number of rural residents and was having a serious impact on businesses and the rural economy.