Mobile PO part 3

For the next few weeks, the main theme of the posts would be transport. I would try to cover mail transported by train, van, boat etc or the associated cancellations on stamps. Part 1 and part 2 of mobile PO were originally posted in December 2011 on this blog.

The mobile POs used vehicles to service a certain fixed route in suburban and rural areas near to some towns in North Borneo/Sabah. There are none in existence at present as they were gradually replaced by more permanent post offices. Mobile PO1 served areas around Kota Kinabalu between 1965 and 1971.
  

Mobile PO2 served areas around Kota Kinabalu including Tanjong Aru between 1966 and 1972. If you look at my original post in December 2011, you may notice that these philatelic items has the same plain envelope and address as the Railway TPOs even though they were obtained separately from different sources.

Mobile PO3 served areas around Sandakan between 1966 and 1972. The initial published schedule was as follows:
Monday, Wednesday and Friday
0805 hours : North Road, Mile 1½, Market
0810 hours : North Road, Mile 3, opposite Shop Yun Him.
0833 hours : Junction Batu Lima and Pumping Station Road.
0855 hours : Junction Labuk Road and Airport Road.
0905 hours : Airport.
0950 hours : Labuk Road, Mile 9, Sin Hwa School,
1005 hours : Junction Labuk Roa and Sungei Manila Road.
1020 hours : Labuk Road, Mile 13.
1035 hours : Labuk Road, Mile 15, Min Chung School.
1055 hours : Junction Labuk Road and Gum Gum Road.
1105 hours : Vehicle returns to Sandakan Post Office.
1400 hours : Govt. Primary School Berhala Darat.
1413 hours : Shop Sim Sin, Sim Sin Road.
1430 hours : Kampong Galam, Leila Road, opposite Dato Building Site.
1443 hours : Teck Guan Company.
1500 hours : Junction Cecily Road and Leila Road.
1513 hours : Melantah, opposite Chiap Hua Company.
1523 hours : Shell Depot, junction of Batu Sapi Road, near Karamunting Golf Course.
1538 hours : Vehicle returns to Sandakan Post Office.

Tuesday and Thursday
0805 hours : North Road, Mile 1½, Market.
0825 hours : North Road, Mile 3, opposite Shop Yun Him.
0843 hours : Junction Batu Lima and Pumping Station Road.
0900 hours : Junction Labuk Road and Airport Road.
0913 hours : Airport.
0955 hours : Tai Tong School, Sibuga Road.
1033 hours : Pei Ying School, Cecily Road.
1102 hours : Happy Theatre, Cecily Estate.
1130 hours : Vehicle Returns to Sandakan Post Office.
Afternoon schedules are the same as for Monday, Wednesday

Mobile PO4 served areas around Tawau between 1967 and 1972. There were also Mobile PO5 for Labuan and Mobile PO6 for Kudat. The list of mobile POs went all the way up to 17 for Tambunan and 18 for Kuala Penyu but after MPO6 used the letters PPB instead of MPO. This stands for pejabat pos bergerak which is Malay for mobile post office.  So there is still a lot to look out for and I should think the ones for the lesser known places would be quite rare.