Council fleet is leaner and greener

Published

A move towards a leaner and greener fleet of vehicles has resulted in savings of £700k over the last two years.

Falkirk Council achieved the savings by taking a number of steps to modernise its fleet. The Council is a member of the Falkirk ECO Stars scheme, which helps organisations using commercial vehicles to be more environmentally friendly. The aim is to improve air quality in the local area and the efficiency of member companies.

The Falkirk ECO Stars scheme was launched in February 2013 and the Council is the first local authority in Scotland to improve their rating.  The upgrade from three stars to four is down to several factors, including:

  • reducing the fleet size by over 23 vehicles
  • replacing old vehicles with new, more efficient models including dual-use vehicles that double as gritters and gully motors
  • A tracking system that makes sure vehicles use the most appropriate routes.

Councillor Dr Craig R Martin, spokesperson for the Environment said: “The upgrade of our rating in the ECO Stars scheme is a sign of how serious we are about our environmental credentials.”

“The new vehicle management and tracking systems as well as our new multi-purpose vehicles have helped us build a modern fleet of vehicles and reduce costs at a time when budgets are tight without impacting performance.

“We will work with our climate change and carbon management teams going forward to build on our successes so far.”

There are 71 members operating 3743 vehicles in the Falkirk ECO Stars scheme, 369 of which belong to the Council.

Eco Stars Scotland Manager Mark Cavers said: “Falkirk is the first council in Scotland to be awarded an upgrade and this demonstrates their commitment to reducing their vehicle emissions and improving local air quality.

“Achieving an upgrade from 3 to 4 stars is an excellent milestone for any organisation, but it is all the more impressive when you compare the number of vehicles that Falkirk Council has in the scheme – 369 – to the average number of vehicles per fleet in the Falkirk scheme, which is just 53.”