Engineers ‘using public transport instead of vans’ for site visits

The Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP) claims that some businesses in London are encouraging engineers to make site visits using public transport rather than a company van.

Parts can be shipped to the customer’s address in advance and the technician is then able to complete jobs with just a toolkit they can carry.

“We’d underline first of all that this is probably not a widespread trend, but it is an interesting one that we are seeing in London, and which is probably also viable in the centre of a handful of other major UK cities,” said APF chair, Paul Hollick

“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.”

Hollick believes it can be employed effectively but explains it 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,” he continued. 

“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.”

The idea appears to be part of a portfolio of solutions that are being tried out by businesses in dense urban areas.

Hollick 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.”