Postal accessibility: residents increasingly choose parcel lockers

Latvijas Pasts, which in 2025 had a turnover of €82.706 million (down 11.8% from 2024) and a profit of €2.995 million, ensures postal service availability across the country. The company is fully state-owned and employs around 1,550 people.

In Jelgava, Latvijas Pasts parcel lockers are located at several addresses, including 18 Katoļu Street, 11a and 50 Rīgas Street, 77a Rūpniecības Street, 10 Meiju Way, 20 Akadēmijas Street, 45a Dobeles Highway, 1 Kristapa Helmaņa Street, 20 Raiņa Street, and 24a Garozas Street. The customer service center at 4 Driksas Street is constantly busy.

The Ozolnieki post office, located next to a supermarket, is small and tidy but had no customers at the time of the visit. Local resident Jānis Melders, who has lived in Ozolnieki since 1963, notes that the post office today is an "empty place." He uses postal services about once a month to send registered letters. Melders believes that postal functions could be taken over by the municipality, library, or a shop, but this requires political will.

Ivars Indāns from Dalbe visited the post office three months ago to send a DNA test to Germany. He visits the post about once a year and increasingly uses parcel lockers for receiving small packages.

Ingrīda Irbe, head of Ozolnieki Library, stresses that librarians cannot replace postal workers because postal services require special equipment – a safe, cash register, and connection to Latvijas Pasts system. Gunita Kulmane, head of Ūziņi Library, adds that librarians are already overloaded and extra duties could reduce service quality, although in some places such a merger might be possible.

Agris Vilks, executive director of Dobele Municipality, says the municipality has two post offices (in Dobele and Auce), while the rest of the area is served by "Pastnieks mājās" (Postman at Home). He considers the possibility of entrusting some postal functions to librarians if the initiative comes from Latvijas Pasts. However, he notes that librarians already have many additional tasks.

Evisa Rudmieze, representative of Jelgava Municipality, states that the municipality has two customer service centers – in Ozolnieki and Eleja, where postal services are located in municipal buildings together with a library and pharmacy. Outside the centers, residents can use "Pastnieks mājās." Parcel lockers are available in several locations, including Ozolnieki, Glūda, Nākotne, and elsewhere.