The Customs join a fleet of nearly 500 vehicles, around 65% of which are Fords, from blue-light Ford Focus Estate models to specially adapted Ford Transits.
‘We are pleased to welcome the Ford Transit Custom on to our fleet and we are sure it will more than meet our expectations,’ said NHSBT’s national fleet service manager, Larry Bannon.
‘The Transit is recognised throughout this industry as the perennial best in class, and it is certainly the best vehicle that fits our purpose, with excellent network support and a spare parts supply second to none.’
In addition to emergency-service livery and the fitment of special storage equipment, each van is lined in a special waterproof resin to enable power-washing of the interior to ensure cleanliness to prescribed and regularly audited levels.
‘The Ford vans are used in every stage of the blood donation process, from collecting the blood from the village halls and schools where blood donation sessions are set up, then transporting the donated blood to our regional processing sites where it is tested, processed and sorted, through to delivering units of blood to hospitals, whether as part of a routine order or under emergency blue-light cover to meet a hospital’s urgent needs,” Bannon added.