Mobile post office trucks to continue in parts of rural France

A truck offering banking and postal services will continue visiting isolated villages in five French departments, despite limited usage and no plans to expand the scheme nationally.

The mobile unit from La Poste, trialled since 2023 in Gers, Orne, Jura, Haute-Marne and Creuse, stops for half a day each week in selected villages lacking a permanent post office. 

In Gers, where use was highest, 1,500 transactions were recorded over the year – half the 3,000 initially targeted.

Local services 'a priority'

Still, La Poste called the results “encouraging” and said the trial would continue indefinitely. “The aim is not profitability but local service,” said Éric France, La Poste’s territorial delegate for Gers and Hautes-Pyrénées.

The scheme costs €1million across all five departments, co-funded by La Poste and the Banque des Territoires. 

It follows a report by state auditors the Cour des comptes, which advised La Poste to scale back loss-making services. 

La Poste replied that the Cour had misunderstood its long-term strategy, noting the group remains profitable due to its CNP Assurances ownership.