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Patrick McGillycuddy's blog: 23 October - Servicing the emergency sector
Date: 23 October 2015
Whilst the pressure is on all of us in the fleet industry to deliver better value-for-money than ever before, spare a thought for colleagues working in emergency services vehicle procurement.
Never has there been so much weight on their shoulders to find cars that are affordable, practical and, most of all, capable enough to meet the demands of public services.
Whilst the typical cycle for corporate fleets is three years or 60,000 miles, police cars and paramedic vehicles can be used for up to five years or a mammoth 180,000 miles.
After salaries, fleet cars are often the second biggest overhead that police forces and local health authorities have to contend with. And heightened scrutiny on what they do with public money means that they must make the right choices.
The knock-on effect for vehicle manufacturers is that we need to be acutely aware of how our models can best add value to customers in the emergency services sector.
After all, there is no benefit in offering paramedic and ambulance procurement teams models that can't take a large payload or which don't boast large amounts of interior space. By the same token, it's cars that are built to withstand many thousands of miles that are well suited to police forces for use as non-marked patrol cars.
It's this level of customer focus that should sit of the heart of any successful manufacturer's fleet operation. Having the right offer for the right customer, regardless of whether the cars are being used for corporate life or saving lives, is absolutely key.
