Chunghwa Post to cease nighttime mail delivery service next year

Taipei, Aug. 23 (CNA) Chunghwa Post Co. said Saturday that it will end nighttime delivery of domestic regular and expedited registered mail starting on Jan. 1, 2026 as demand for the service has dwindled over time.

Registered mail is currently delivered during the day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Neither regular mail nor expedited mail are delivered on weekends or national holidays.

People who are unable to receive registered mail at home during daytime hours can apply at a post office for nighttime delivery of registered mail for an additional fee of NT$7 (US$0.23), which is collected upon delivery.

The service will no longer be offered starting next year as demand for nighttime delivery has fallen year after year, the state-run operator said.

Also, due to the low cost of the service starting at NT$80 for expedited mail and NT$7 per registered mail, nighttime delivery has resulted in a serious imbalance between postal revenue and labor costs as postal workers need to work the late shift or overtime, it said.

Discontinuing the service should not have much of an impact on the public, according to Chunghwa Post.

It said its nighttime service currently handles an average of just over 3,000 registered items per month, accounting for only about 0.01 percent of all registered mail deliveries.