Smaller business fleets need help to go green

SMALLER businesses say it is important to have a green fleet but most won’t allocate the necessary budget. That’s the finding of a survey by Lombard Vehicle Management. Most small businesses over-estimate the cost of offsetting a vehicle’s carbon emissions. For a panel van covering over 20,000 miles per year, the true offset cost is about £7 per month. Three-quarters of smaller businesses would be willing to pay up to £4 per month to offset a vehicle’s carbon emissions. Many said they would want public recognition, for example, through sign-written vehicles. Lombard Vehicle Management boss Rob Bailey, said: “For a small business, cost is always paramount. It is perhaps unrealistic to expect them to adopt green fleet policies on a widespread basis.” Bailey added that it would be necessary to “educate the business community about the true cost of going green -and  – perhaps for them to be incentivised”. Lombard’s survey of smaller businesses found:

• 70% say it is important to have a green fleet
• 56% currently not prepared to allocate any budget to it
• 65% likely or very likely to choose greener vehicles
• 26% likely to restrict user-choosers to greener vehicles
• 36% prepared to consider hybrid cars
• 17% prepared to consider electric commercial vehicles