A new report from LeasePlan UK and iGov Survey reveals that 58% of public service organisations believe government policies to reduce vehicle emissions have changed their vehicle fleet strategies.

There are over 200,000 vehicles currently leased or financed to the public sector in the UK.  The survey probing the priorities of this huge market was conducted in July and August 2016, questioning a broad cross-section of managers, heads of departments, directors across 137 organisations.

Perhaps the most significant finding is that 38% of respondents felt they needed to introduce electric vehicles into their fleet in order to meet upcoming environmental legislation.

On the subject of  telematics; 57% of participants having already introduced, or have plans to introduce, Telematics to monitor vehicles and employees.

Oliver Boots, Brand Director of Automotive Leasing, the branch of LeasePlan that provides fleet and mobility solutions for the public and not for profit sector, said: “This survey of Public Sector organisations has unearthed a number of interesting discoveries. For example, it has revealed how the adoption of technology to deliver ever greater efficiencies is becoming ever more apparent to anyone operating vehicles within the public sector. We can also see that the public sector is really leading the charge when it comes to driving the rise of electric vehicles, with 38% stating the need to introduce these vehicles into their fleet in order to meet upcoming environmental legislation. The impact that the changing political landscape will have on the public sector, in more than one way, is very apparent.

“We hope that this report will encourage fleet decision makers to experiment, invest and re-prioritise with the right fleet partner to ensure that they can keep delivering front line services, efficiently, safely and sustainably.”