The Covid-19 pandemic has affected every aspect of our lives, including our personal life and our work life. The ‘stay at home’ message that we’ve had since March 2020 has resulted in most people working from home and not going on their daily commute. The fleet industry, in turn, saw a large drop as it required fewer people to travel for work.
Now that the restrictions are lifted, the use of company vehicles is seeing an increase once again. The future of offices is probably going to change as businesses experiment with the most effective way to run their companies in the future. Not all businesses are returning to the office full time, some will stay remote and some will choose a blended approach. Everyone will have a different plan.
Along with the changes to the workplace, there has been a decrease in the number of people using public transport. This is because people do not feel safe using public transport as a result of Covid-19, which is showing that more people are choosing to travel to their workplaces using personal vehicles or company cars.
There are many ways for you to adapt your fleet to help match your business needs. EVP Solutions provides expert advice and management services to help your company with your fleet management needs and to allow you to focus on more important aspects of your business. They can help you get sorted now which can save you time and money in the future.
The future of working
Over the past year we have changed how we work, the number of people working from home last year doubled. With restrictions lifting businesses are currently working out their plans for office returns, if they choose to do so. The majority of the workforce want a return to face-to-face meetings instead of video calls which have surged in popularity over the last year.
Your fleet strategy will have to adapt to the businesses’ changing needs. There are many options available that may assist you with this. Your business now may require a flexible transport plan to match your business needs. Having a fleet can hold extra safety benefits for employees who do not feel that it is safe for them to use public transport, 57% of workers believe that having access to a car is more important than it was before the pandemic.
The future means going green
The pandemic has taught everyone that the future can be unpredictable, but some things we can plan for. The UK Government is banning the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans in 2030 and has already introduced lower tax rates for electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles. Electric or hybrid company vehicles that were registered from 6th April 2020 have a 0% tax rate. These rates are changing with it increasing to 1% by 2021/22 and 2% by 2022/23.
Electric vehicles and hybrids also already comply with Clean Air Zones, which are becoming more common in UK cities, to help improve air quality. The Clean Air Zones means that high emission cars will face congestion charges for travelling in these areas.
Some local councils are introducing Clean Air Zones in their cities. Bath’s local council introduced measures earlier this year for Clean Air Zones, and other councils in Birmingham, London, Bristol and other cities are following in their footsteps later this year.
After this pandemic, your company’s fleet management plan definitely needs to be assessed to ensure that it is meeting your business needs in the best possible way, but businesses should also be thinking about what will benefit them most in the long run.
Author Elise Kennedy – Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash
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