Amazon has announced that it will continue to develop its last-mile operations with a US$4bn investment in its rural delivery network across the USA to bring faster delivery times to less densely populated areas.

The investment will be used to grow Amazon’s rural delivery network to more than 200 delivery stations and create more than 100,000 jobs through a range of full-time, part-time and flexible positions.

Once complete, the network will be able to deliver over a billion more packages each year to customers living in more than 13,000 zip codes spanning 1,200,000 square miles, according to Amazon.

The company began developing its rural delivery network in 2020 with the opening of its first delivery station, and started scaling its small-town delivery network in 2023, reporting a 50% improvement in delivery speeds on average. By the end of 2026, the company will have tripled the size of its US rural delivery network.

Amazon says that for each new facility it opens, an average of 170 jobs will be created at the delivery stations themselves, plus many more through driving opportunities via Amazon’s Delivery Service Partner (DSP) program and Amazon Flex, which offers individuals the opportunity to earn extra money delivering packages in their own vehicles.

Author Credits- HAZEL KING, Parcel and postal technology INTERNATIONAL