Pilot program aims to add more public package lockers in NYC
BROOKLYN, New York (WABC) -- About 90,000 deliveries are either lost or stolen in New York City every day, but a new safety system is looking to cut down on thefts in a unique way.
Imagine if you could grab a bagel from one of your favorite spots or grab a carton of milk and then pick up a package.
At Olde Brooklyn Bagel Shoppe in Park Slope you can knock out two birds with one stone.
"When the customers come in, they put in something, I need a bagel. And there you go," Olde Brooklyn Bagel Shoppe owner Frankie Assad said.
It's called Go Locker. It's a way to combat those pesky porch pirates, because if being caught on camera won't stop them, maybe this will.
There are a handful of them in convenience stores throughout the five boroughs and two stand-alone locations with 24-hour access.
There's one on the Upper East Side and in the East Village.
On Wednesday, the New York City's Department of Transportation launched a one-year pilot program called 'LockerNYC,' and added 15 more of them on city sidewalks.
Membership through the pilot is free, with mail carriers covering the cost.
Approximately 90,000 packages in the city are lost or stolen every day, and that's all driving up costs.
"Which gets passed back down to the consumer so you're still paying for it. Maybe not directly," Go Locker founder Nigel Thomas said.
You just set the Go Locker location as the address to send your package to. The delivery carrier has access to drop it off.
The app then gives you access to secure sites and provides a PIN code to the locker.
The hope is this can also be good for the environment and for traffic.
Imagine if a delivery worker didn't have to stop at each and every brownstone on a block and be double parked, and instead made one stop, and be in and out.
"How would this help companies like Amazon, FedEx, UPS," Thomas said. "All of these major conglomerates to be able to now take one delivery driver and be able to unload 50, maybe even up to 100 packages all within 10 minutes. It's a game changer."
Just don't forget to grab a bagel on the way out.
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