Green van driver scheme receives £1.2m extra funding
Date: 14 September 2007
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Transport secretary Ruth Kelly has announced an extra £1.2 million in funding to train van drivers in environmentally-friendly techniques.
Part of the Safe and Fuel Efficient Drivers (SAFED) scheme, the money will be used to teach drivers, including courier drivers, methods of saving fuel that will also help to cut carbon emissions and costs.
The SAFED scheme was launched last year and £2.2 million has so far been invested in it, and nearly 7,800 drivers have taken part.
Those who completed the training managed to achieve, on average, a 16 per cent improvement in fuel consumption, and each van driver could save £425 each year, as well as around 1.2 tonnes of CO2.
"White van man is turning green," said Ms Kelly. "By learning safe, fuel efficient driving techniques, van drivers are playing a vital role in cutting CO2 emissions.
"They're helping tackle climate change, saving money and improving safety without impacting on customer delivery times.
"I congratulate all the drivers who've done the training so far and urge others to do the same - it makes business and environmental sense."
SAFED courses last for one day and include both classroom and on-the-road tuition. Methods taught include avoiding over-revving, not changing gears unnecessarily, and keeping correct braking distances.
A recent report by the Commission for Integrated Transport found that the logistics sector had made a number of improvements in terms of reducing CO2 emissions.
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