100% hybrid goal for Surrey cleaning fleet
One fleet boss in Surrey has vowed to ‘never go back’ to conventional models after experiencing first hand the benefits of hybrid technology within fleets.
Walton-on-the-Hill-based TC Cleaning Services began replacing its fuel-quaffing Mercedes A-Class models with Toyota Prius four years ago and Fleet Administrator Lynne Davies says embracing hybrid vehicles so early has reaped massive rewards.
“Prius has proved cost-efficient for the company because both our fuel and maintenance costs have decreased,” she explained.
“Even for an expanding fleet like ours in the midst of fuel rises, the cars have held their own very nicely. It’s only in the past nine months with such steep rises in petrol prices that costs have been pushed up.
“We have trackers in the vehicles, so it’s relatively easy to calculate the savings since we started to feed Prius in – and the difference is marked.”
More refined
With her 100-strong fleet already dominated by 70 or so Prius hatchbacks, Lynne is now pushing towards achieving a 100% hybrid fleet after seeing tax and fuel costs decrease as well as the C-Charge disappear for her London drivers.
“It will probably take a few years to achieve this goal,” Lynne concedes, “[but] our CEO has said that he wishes to work towards an all-hybrid car fleet.”
Benefits aren’t merely financial, Lynne also reports that the drivers love the Prius too: “Once drivers get used to the hybrid concept, they’re absolutely fine.”
TC Cleaning Services is now moving on to its third generation Prius vehicles and has noticed the improvements carried out by Toyota.
She added: “It’s more refined, provides more choice as to how to drive, has a deeper boot and the heads-up display is fantastic – that’s a bonus I wasn’t expecting.”
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