Ford has provided more than 200 vehicles to underpin the UK’s coronavirus response, supporting organisations including the NHS, police forces, local councils and care homes.
The vehicles are being loaned from the Ford of Britain sales and marketing demonstrator fleet and include nearly 120 vehicles that have gone to the British Red Cross, St John Ambulance and 10 National Health Service ambulance trusts. This includes the loan of 37 vehicles to East of England Ambulance Service while the Ford demonstration fleet department is also working with its service partner, DHL, to provide operational support for the service’s fleet team.
“We have two DHL specialists working over the next few weeks focusing on transportation, allocation reporting and fleet logistics, plus any other ad-hoc requests which Ford can support via online systems,” said Len Keen, product press officer – vehicle operations, Ford of Britain, who is co-ordinating the operations.
Hampshire-based ACASA Care and Support – which employs 180 carers – has been donated a fleet of six vehicles to keep its team on the road in the event of any vehicle issues, and also enable them to hire additional support staff.
Managing director Oliver Alexander said: “A crisis brings out the best in people and in companies, and it certainly is very true in the case of Ford, helping us ensure we can look after people whose only visitors every day may be our care team.”
A range of key businesses have also benefited from the vehicle loans, including Tesco, which has taken 43 Transits to enable it to ramp up home food deliveries.
