Veolia's fleet operations in London have been accredited with a Gold certificate under Transport for London's Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (FORS). This follows an investment to make 1400 Veolia vehicles that operate within London, safer and greener by:
- Improving driver training with a cyclist awareness programme
- Investing £1m into cycle safety with audible and visual warnings
- Plans to reduce fuel consumption by 17.5% in Veolia's new fleet vehicles
In the time since Veolia were awarded a Silver FORS accreditation in 2012, the company have invested £1m into improving safety for all vulnerable road users, including cyclists. All vehicles above 3.5 tonnes have been fitted with audible warnings to tell cyclists when a vehicle is turning left, along with cautionary cyclist nearside warning signs.
An improved cyclist awareness training programme has also seen all drivers getting on a bike and obtaining a 'cyclist's eye view' of an HGV as part of their annual DCPC training.
Fuel consumption and vehicle emissions have also been reduced by 17.5% in new fleet vehicles, with plans to roll these out in other London contracts. Veolia worked with Dennis Eagle and Allison Transmissions to develop technology that prevents the vehicles from being driven inefficiently and also reduced the compaction cycles when the bins are emptied for optimum efficiency.
The FORS standard recognises road freight operators that commit to sustainable best practice and meaningful improvements to safety, environmental impact and efficiency.
The scheme follows a progression where Bronze and Silver status need to be achieved and maintained prior to attaining Gold status. To achieve Gold status, certain criteria under the management, vehicles, drivers and operations must be proven and assessed in a formal audit carried out on company premises by an independent FORS auditor.
Gary Clark, Head of Fleet for London and UK Municipal Fleet Development, said: 'We are delighted to be recognised for our commitment to improving our fleet operations for the safety and benefit of Londoners. This would not have been achieved without the hard work and dedication of our employees to manage improvements and to ensure that all workers are committed to safe and sustainable practices.'
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