On January 26, at the 2026 Hefei Postal Work Conference, officials released an annual report covering residents' daily sending/receiving needs, rural service upgrades, and courier rights protection. The data show significant improvements in delivery efficiency, network coverage, and worker welfare across the city's postal and express services in 2025.

In 2025 Hefei handled 2.312 billion postal and delivery items citywide, of which 2.185 billion were express parcels, a 21.25% increase year‑on‑year. To cope with the huge parcel volume, the industry's digital and smart transformation accelerated: the city opened eight drone routes, put 305 unmanned vehicles into operation, established 276 unmanned parcel stations, and completed the world's first ton‑class cross‑city unmanned freight transport. The postal district center's country‑first "dual‑robot‑arm intelligent sorting robot" increased processing efficiency by 46%. At the same time, the international delivery network continued to expand — leveraging an established international mail exchange office plus 26 independent international air routes and 16 China‑Europe Railway Express lines, cross‑border parcel flows have become smoother.

Over the past year, Hefei established 65 township passenger‑cargo‑postal comprehensive service stations, launched 72 bus‑mail routes, and maintained stable operation of 588 village‑level delivery service stations. Through "postal‑express cooperation," annual business volume reached 34.1456 million items, effectively promoting the upstream shipment of agricultural products and the downstream delivery of consumer goods.

Now, Hefei has achieved 100% coverage of packaging waste recycling facilities at express outlets; 98% of e‑commerce parcels no longer require secondary packaging, and over 4 million reusable packages are used annually on average. In addition, nine green distribution centers and 305 green outlets have been built; among newly added industry vehicles, more than 80% are new‑energy vehicles, and six provincial‑level distribution centers have installed photovoltaic power systems.

This report also records extensive care for couriers. Hefei pioneered a pilot program nationwide for monitoring labor practices in the express industry, organized 28 "warmth‑bringing" and cooling‑relief activities throughout the year, and provided over 2,000 free medical checkups. In cooperation with multiple departments, the city designated the first batch of 14 "courier‑friendly communities," a practice that has received national recognition. Career development channels for couriers are also expanding — 56 couriers were recommended for evaluation in express‑industry professional title reviews during the year.

In 2026, the construction of a smart postal system will be further advanced, with intelligent delivery by drones and unmanned vehicles making life more convenient. Urban and rural delivery networks will become more complete, smoothing the flow of agricultural products from villages to cities and consumer goods from cities into village households. The green transition will accelerate, with reusable packaging and new‑energy delivery vehicles benefiting citizens more widely. Protections for couriers' rights will continue to be strengthened, allowing the hardworking couriers to work with greater peace of mind and dignity.

Source: Hefei Daily