Lifestyle Couriers - Think of ... Uber for parcels delivery
Packet and parcels delivery has always relied on a flexible professional workforce to balance cost and demand, however the large growth in online shopping is enabling non-professional couriers, using their own vehicles and spare time, to become a relevant work force in this space. This has the potential to be disruptive dominant postal service giants.
Called "lifestyle couriers", these individuals, out of choice or necessity, spend varying amounts of time each week delivering parcels, usually around their own well known neighbourhoods, using their own mobile devices to track and capture their progress.
https://www.myhermes.co.uk/
Hermes is currently the largest player in the UK. Hermes' workforce has roughly tripled in the last couple of years and they are delivering in the order of 160M parcels per year.
http://www.businessinsider.com.au/how-uber-rush-works-2014-4
Uber Rush has launched in NYC. It's a bit different. This is a bike and on-foot service where you 'hail' for a delivery and someone arrives to pick it up.