The opportunity for mobility to shape future fleet strategy

While I do wonder at the government’s inability to publish some shorter-term guidance – such as benefit-in-kind taxation beyond 2021 – this briefing from the Department of Transport is welcome. It offers a valuable insight into how the government sees the future; the future of simply getting from A to B.

How will this be achieved without increasing congestion? What advances can be made in travel against a background of digitisation, AI (Artificial Intelligence) and greater connectivity?

At its most basic, the government wishes to encourage ‘active travel’. It wants walking, and cycling to be at the core of urban transport.

And in a wider sense, all future mobility solutions must lead towards the zero emissions of active travel. But without creating additional congestion.

Mobility is certainly a good buzz word at the moment; it can mean many things to many people. So it’s useful to gain an insight into how the government understands mobility, as well as its potential for good and an understanding of the potential issues such mobility may raise.

I see mobility as a staged affair, with fleet managers gradually morphing into mobility managers. It’s a more complex role – if managing a fleet wasn’t difficult enough, of course – because you will be dealing with the travel arrangements of individuals across a variety of modes.

But it certainly won’t be by spreadsheet, that’s for sure. Technology really helps and AI will increase that ability to deliver driver solutions in real time.

Mobility for fleets will be about finding the optimum travel answer for each journey. That might be a car by the hour; it could possibly be by the week. A suite of blended solutions will be the starting point for repositioning fleets to take advantage of mobility solutions.

The result will be more appropriate transport for each journey; smoother and reduced journey times; the opportunity to increase efficiency across the business; and a lower carbon footprint overall.

All benefits that I believe fleets will be able to enjoy as we step forward into the new era of mobility.