Some businesses are cutting the number of vans they operate in London, with employees instead directed to use public transport, according to the Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP).
The organisation said an operational model was being adopted which saw technical staff working at domestic and business premises having parts shipped to the customer’s address in advance, then arriving with just a toolkit they are able to carry.
AFP chair Paul Hollick said that although the trend was probably not currently widespread, it was being seen in London and potentially also viable in other major cities.
He said: “Driving, maintaining and storing vans in concentrated urban areas is increasingly difficult, and some businesses have been looking for new solutions. One of these is to only use vans where necessary and for engineers to get around by public transport. In any mega city, the best way of moving people is generally by tube, train or bus.
“It’s something that can work effectively but does have obvious limitations. Employees may need tools and other equipment that can’t easily be moved around by hand or on public transport, for example, while delivering parts to customer premises ahead of the visit can sometimes be a hit-and-miss affair.
“However, there are also instances where it can work well, and we know of fleets where van numbers are being reduced and the remaining vehicles used on an as-needed basis, rather than each van being permanently allocated to an employee.”
Hollick added that the idea was part of a portfolio of solutions that were being tried out by businesses in dense urban areas.
He said: “A whole host of innovations are appearing – urban cargo bikes with surprisingly high payload capacities by parcel delivery companies, for example – that are working well in specific applications.
“Our view is that in a decade or so, businesses operating in these cities will often be making use of a range of mobility solutions for technical staff rather than just the traditional one driver-one van model.”
