Startup firm LivingPackets has announced it has launched a trial express delivery service running between London and Paris.
According to LivingPackets, it is harnessing the power of the so-called ‘sharing economy’ and “individual traveller networks”.
LivingPackets explained how the service would work: “A sender books a delivery via the LivingPackets mobile app, and deposits the item himself or asks for a pick up. The item is then delivered to a designated point near the international train terminal at Kings Cross St Pancras and is placed in a secure bag by the LivingPackets security operators (called “the Guardians”). A traveller participating in the LivingPackets network is automatically notified and will pick up the bag on his way to the platform. The process is fully automated and takes just a few hours from the pick-up to delivery.”
This is not unlike the service offering by PIggyBee.
The new service has an added dimension to that of PIggyBee’s. The LivingPackets bags have a camera, shock and temperature sensors, real time tracking, electronic lock and Bluetooth connectivity. These ensure added security for the package for both the sender and the traveller.
The firm has also secured support from the five-star St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, which will be offering the service to its customers. St Pancras Renaissance will initially use the LivingPackets service in order to return lost and left-behind items to hotel guests.
Salvatore Bartolone, Head Concierge at St Pancras Renaissance, commented: “We are very happy to be working with LivingPackets, whose innovative delivery model will now allow us to offer a Premium service to all our clients to deliver their belongings to Paris in just a few hours and at a reasonable price.”
Marie Le Page, LivingPackets CEO in the UK, commented: “We see a huge demand for fast, affordable and reliable deliveries from online retailers and luxury brands. With no existing alternative to the established and aging international logistics practices, there is a lot of room for young and disruptive ‘sharing economy’ players like LivingPackets to step in.”
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