Australia Post has issued a humiliating apology after a delivery driver was fined for parking his van in a disabled spot during a “lapse of judgement”.
The StarTrack truck was seen partially parked in a reserved spot directly opposite a designated disabled space on Hunting Tower Road in Armadale, in inner-city Melbourne, on Tuesday.
A surprised passerby took and shared a photo that went viral on social media and was later deleted.
Australia Post, owner of StarTrack, confirmed the driver was fined by parking inspectors, which will be paid for by the postal giant.
It is understood the driver left the van unattended for six minutes to make a delivery and has since expressed remorse for the incident.
A StarTrack driver was fined for parking in a disabled spot while delivering a parcel on Hunting Tower Road in Armadale, Melbourne, on Tuesday (pictured)
Australia Post has since reminded its drivers of its protocols when delivering packages.
An Australia Post spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia the driver made an “error in judgement” and apologized for the error.
“We recognize and respect that accessible parking spaces must be kept available for people who need them,” the spokesperson said.
“Our couriers and drivers immediately comply with any direct requests from local authorities, and there are no circumstances in which we would pay a fine as an alternative to moving a vehicle.”
StarTrack was initially operated by Australia Post and Qantas, who owned half of its share until Australia Post took full control in 2012.
Despite operating as a different arm of Australia Post, both services have had access to a dedicated fleet of six cargo aircraft operated by Qantas since 2016.
The driver had only been out of the van for about six minutes and was sorry for having made the mistake (file image)