Fife Council cuts 3,400 tonnes CO2 in a year with telematics

Fife Council has reduced its CO2 output by 3,400 tonnes compared to 2017, by using telematics to improver employees’ driving style and reduce mpg.

The Council has also saved £189,000 on its annual fuel bill.

Using WEBFLEET from TomTom Telematics to implement a driver improvement programme, a 15 per cent improvement in mpg was achieved for the Council’s Building Services and Direct Response teams.

The technology was used to identify potential issues, and driver training was offered to help employees improve.

“We have seen our staff become much more motivated to improve their driving style and encouraged to drive with more consideration,” said Jennifer Thain, Operations Officer at Fife Council. “As well as cutting fuel consumption, this ultimately reduces wear and tear on tyres, brakes and clutches.”

Mike McQueen, Transportation Officer at the Council, added: “Our Demand Responsive Transport service team provide essential transport for the elderly and disabled members of our community, so safe, smooth and comfortable driving is absolutely paramount. The TomTom Telematics solution has proved very effective at motivating all our staff by providing objective monitoring and recognition of their high driving standards.”

The reduction in fuel cost has also been aided by more efficient response to public call-outs.

Fife Council runs a fleet of 1,600 vehicles across 13 departments – including car-derived vans, mini buses and large commercial vehicles – providing a vast range of public services, many of which are required to provide emergency or round-the-clock response.

Using WEBFLEET, the most appropriate vehicle can be dispatched to each call-out based on estimated journey times, taking into account up-to-date traffic information and historic journey data, rather than just distance from the destination. This helps Fife Council to minimise the time its drivers spend on the road.