Housing association Abri has ordered 250 Volkswagen Transporter panel vans for its fleet.
The vehicles, the first of which has been delivered, will be used for customer visits and in-house maintenance across over 40,000 homes and assets across the south of England.
Among Abri’s requirements was a flexible, yet highly-standardised, shelving system, designed to carry materials, tools and equipment for a variety of trades. The conversion to meet this need was developed jointly between Abri, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, and TGS Automotive.
Abri group fleet manager Andy Pearce said: “We had that rare opportunity of replacing a large proportion of our existing fleet in one tranche. Working with vehicle users, we were determined to best support the service we offer our customers, through much improved on-board stock management, whilst offering a desirable, fit-for-purpose working environment to our vehicle users.
“Fixing issues first time is what our customers want and a correctly specified vehicle, supporting skilled tradespeople, enables us to do this.”
Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles national fleet manager Craig Cavanagh said: “We’re delighted that Abri has selected our Transporter panel van to support its housing partners with customer visits.
“We’re confident that the vehicle’s impressive payload, alongside a custom racking solution by TGS Automotive, will enable this vital work to continue.”
