Donegal first with Bundoran postie’s new E-Trike pedal power

There was a distinction for Donegal in recent days with the introduction of the county’s first postal e-trike by An Post in Bundoran.

And the first man to put the pedal on the metal was Allan Patton from Bundoran, although Letterkenny will follow suit shortly, a spokesperson for An Post also confirmed.

It is part of a continuing roll out that has taken place across the country since late 2019, but this has been its first appearance on Donegal soil, delayed no doubt by the Covid-19 pandemic that struck the following year.

Alan, a native of neighbouring town Ballyshannon, says that come November, it will be 27 years since he first began life as a postman or postal operatives, as they are called nowadays, he points out.

He remembered his early days when then local Postmaster Leo McGovern suggested that the advent of mobile phones would become a threat to the letter service in year to come.

Asked to recall another early memory, he said that one of the postmasters' jobs at the time was collecting the coins from the old stand alone telephone booths that were once a familiar feature of every town and parish in the country.

Allan, a keen Manchester United fan is one of the most recognisable faces around the popular resort, not least because you would often see him out and about on his daily runs, whether in sun, rain, sleet or snow.

And that has been his unique contribution to the households and postal history of south Donegal.

He has never used a van and has always used the bike on his daily deliveries.

Allan (pictured above) said as he was dashing from one house to another:

“The first day was certainly a bit strange, but as the week progressed, I became more familiar with the bike.”

He even became a bit of a novelty when delivering mails and parcels to the two local schools on the first couple of days.

“They were very curious and it is a bit of a novelty, but the main advantage is the volume that I now carry daily, as opposed to the older bicycle which had limited capacity” he added.

The new trike, along with the pedals, has an electric element that makes it easier to operate when going up a steep hill, but the most notable feature of the new trike is the parcel box, at the back of the e-trike.

An Post has said that to meet the growing volume of parcel deliveries and its e-commerce element, it has been necessary to move away from bicycles.

A spokesperson said: “They are of light weight design and are a front hub pedal assist with a top speed of 25kph. We spearheaded this to transition from bicycles, to enable Postal operatives to bring parcels on routes. They are also lightweight and have an electric motor pedal assist, but do not need a number plate as they are not a motorised vehicle.”

“The main advantage of the E-Trike is that they are environmentally friendly and can take a number of parcels, packets and letters.

A Matter of Record - The Donegal Democrat archives down the years

This week, we move from the British government looking for compensation for damage to a Crossley motor maliciously taken or destroyed in January 1922, as reported at a local council meeting in the Donegal Democrat, a free milk scheme for children in the county from 1933 and the rationing of paraffin oil for domestic during the war, ten years later, with a warning of severe penalties if there was any shenanigans going on

“The way the landscape of the business has changed from letters to packets and parcels has meant that it would be very difficult to complete a route entirely on a bike with all the parcels a Post Person has to deliver. The e-trikes are altogether a more suitable vehicle to use and have proven very successful so far!