USE of online services for fleet management is growing among fleets, according to a new report.

A survey by ARVAL PHH showed that 40 per cent of companies with managed fleets, including those using fuel cards, now use a web-based facility to transact some or all of their fleet operation.

ARVAL PHH carried out the research by talking to 300 fleet managers and decision-makers from fleets of all sizes. It found that 49 per cent of fleets with more than 500 vehicles use an online service compared to 39 per cent of fleets with between 100 and 400 vehicles and 34 per cent of sub-100 fleets.

Of those who use a web-based fleet management tool frequently, 64 per cent said that they had saved time as a result, with a quarter of the online users surveyed claiming to have saved 10 per cent of their time or more.

The most common uses for an online facility were to get updates (47 per cent), to obtain quotes on new cars (44 per cent) and to get management reports (42 per cent).

Graham Rixon, managing director of ARVAL PHH Vehicle Solutions, said: 'It is no surprise that more and more fleets are looking to use the internet. It saves time, and platforms like our own InterActive are specifically designed to take away the day-to-day hassles of running a fleet. We confidently expect this 40 per cent figure to continue rising.'