THE Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) has launched a campaign to raise public awareness on the effectiveness and safety of licenced postal and courier services and their contribution to the country's social and economic development in the country.
TCRA Director General, Dr Jabiri Bakari said in Dar es Salaam during a special interview yesterday that the campaign also aims at solving challenges facing consumers of postal services and promoting interest in postal and courier business.
"We encourage Tanzanians to send their parcels through the 96 officially recognised, licenced postal and courier companies that have proper offices, storage facilities and excellent track records of efficiency, safety and integrity," said Dr Bakari.
Existing service providers will be encouraged to renew their licences and new ones directed to the TCRA online licence registration portal for processing applying for their licenses.
TCRA provide licences to postal and courier companies under six categories, namely Public Postal Services Provider and Courier Companies in International, East Africa, Intra-city and inter-city markets. Most buses qualify for the latter category.
During the four-month campaign, consumers of postal and courier services will be educated on risks involved in using illegal, unlicensed courier operators plus the consumers' rights, responsibilities and duties.
The rights include getting pre-service information on tariffs and on the complaints mechanism. Consumers also have a duty to protect themselves and be vigilant when using services.
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The TCRA campaign team will also impart to the public information on the significance of the National Postcode and Physical Addressing System, Dr Bakari said.
"We encourage the public to seize opportunities provided by physical addressing and postcode infrastructure for efficient parcel delivery and pick up," Dr Bakari explained. By using licenced operators, consumers may avoid delays or loss of their parcels.
Latest communications statistics published by TCRA show an increase in parcels traffic in Tanzania in the last few months due to the up-take of e-commerce.
Goods ordered online can be picked and delivered physically and the postcode and addressing system facilitates this. TCRA sets the standards of quality of postal services and monitors compliance by all service providers in order to protect consumer rights.
