PUDO
South Africa's tier-1 locker-shipping product, operated by The Courier Guy. Cheapest national door-alternative at ~R60 locker-to-locker.
PUDO is the locker-based shipping product operated by The Courier Guy. The underlying parcel movement happens on TCG infrastructure, but the front-end is a self-service locker network — sender drops at any PUDO locker, receiver collects from another any time of day.
For sub-5 kg parcels going Locker-to-Locker, PUDO is essentially the cheapest tier-1 courier option in South Africa — R60 nationwide with 1-3 day transit. Only Paxi matches the price (R59.95) but Paxi takes 7-9 days.
Locker access is 24/7, with size limits set by compartment dimensions. DeliverAI exposes live PUDO rates via the TCG API.
Profile last verified 2026-06-18. Pricing changes monthly — always check the live rate on /compare for your specific route.
PUDO services & tiers
| Service | ETA | From | What it’s for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Locker-to-Locker (L2L) | 1–3 business days | From R60 | Sender drops at any PUDO locker; receiver collects from another. Cheapest tier-1 nationwide. |
| Locker-to-Door (L2D) | 1–3 business days | From R99 | Drop at locker, door delivery to receiver. |
| Door-to-Locker (D2L) | 1–3 business days | From R99 | Pickup at sender door, drop at receiver locker. |
PUDO pricing examples (2026)
| Scenario | Indicative price | Service tier |
|---|---|---|
| JHB → CPT · 2kg · L2L | ~R60 | Locker-to-Locker — Same price nationwide for small parcels. |
| JHB → CPT · 2kg · L2D | ~R99 | Locker-to-Door |
| JHB → DBN · 5kg · L2L | ~R75 | Locker-to-Locker |
Prices indicative for 2026. Live rates available via DeliverAI’s /compare for routes where PUDO is integrated.
PUDO coverage in South Africa
Metro same-day
Not offered — PUDO is built for 1–3 day economy.
National next-day
Most metro routes 1–2 days, regional 2–3 days.
Rural reach
~800+ PUDO lockers across SA — concentrated in metro and main town areas. Less reach than TCG door network.
PUDO API & integrations
- Has public API: Yes
- API type: Inherits TCG API (rate quote + tracking)
- Live on DeliverAI: Yes — real-time rates on /compare
PUDO tier is exposed via the TCG live API. DeliverAI quotes are real-time.
PUDO pros & cons
Pros
- Cheapest tier-1 courier door-to-door alternative (~R60 nationwide)
- Secure 24/7 locker access for senders and receivers
- Strong tracking — locker open/close events
- Live API integration via TCG
Cons
- Receiver must collect — not ideal for ecommerce gifts
- Locker network is metro-heavy; some rural areas not covered
- Size-restricted by locker compartment dimensions
PUDO — in depth
PUDO is the locker-based shipping product operated by The Courier Guy. The underlying movement of parcels happens on TCG's existing courier infrastructure, but the front-end experience is locker-based and the pricing is dramatically cheaper than door-to-door.
For sub-5 kg parcels going Locker-to-Locker, PUDO is essentially the cheapest tier-1 courier option in South Africa — R60 nationwide, with 1–3 day transit. The only comparable price is Paxi at R59.95, but Paxi is 7–9 days standard.
Locker access is 24/7 in most locations, which makes PUDO especially useful for senders and receivers with constrained schedules — collect after work, drop on weekends. The locker compartments have size limits which restrict large parcels.
Strategic position: PUDO is essentially TCG's anti-cannibalisation product. Instead of letting price-conscious senders defect to Paxi or Fastway, TCG launched PUDO at a Paxi-competitive price point while keeping their door-to-door tiers at full margin.
Frequently asked questions about PUDO
Is PUDO the cheapest courier in South Africa?
For small parcels nationwide using Locker-to-Locker, yes — R60 is among the cheapest tier-1 prices in SA. Paxi is comparable at R59.95 but takes 7–9 days; PUDO is typically 1–3 days.
How does PUDO work?
Sender drops parcel at any PUDO locker (using a booking code from pudo.co.za or TCG). Receiver gets a notification with a code, walks to the destination locker any time, enters the code, retrieves the parcel.
Is PUDO part of The Courier Guy?
Yes — PUDO is operated by The Courier Guy. The lockers and the underlying parcel network are TCG infrastructure, but the PUDO product (locker-to-locker / locker-to-door) is branded and priced independently.
See PUDO’s rate against 14 other SA couriers
Pricing varies by route, parcel size and urgency. The fastest way to know if PUDO is your best option is to run your actual route on DeliverAI’s comparison.
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