Deutsche Post DHL Group is currently testing a new same-day delivery service, Postbus Courier, via its existing long-distance bus network between the cities of Berlin and Hamburg.

The new service is expected to available for both private users as well as smaller business customers. According to the company, Postbus is the first long-distance bus travel provider in Germany that also offers parcel transport in addition to its passenger service.

“Postbus Courier is a new same-day delivery option that gives our customers another choice, using our intercity bus network for shipping particularly urgent items,” said Achim Dünnwald, head of DHL Parcel. “Berlin and Hamburg are the first cities offering the new service but we are currently considering others for next year”.

The Postbus Courier service is planned to be simple with customers first printing out the shipping documents they filled out onscreen and then taking them together with their parcels to the Postbus Courier service point at the main bus station in Berlin or Hamburg. There, they hand over their parcels to the service staff member, who place the item in a bag, seal it, and stow it securely in the Postbus.

These steps are taken in an effort to protect the parcels from damage and theft during transport. Recipients then personally pick up items on the same day at the arrival destination or have third-persons collect the items after proving their legitimacy through appropriate identification.

Same-day parcel transportation using Postbus Courier is due to be offered once per day, Monday to Friday, and cost €20 during the introductory phase.