East of England Co-op cuts fuel costs by 13.8% with Lightfoot

East of England Co-op has achieved dramatic drops in fuel use, emissions, and vehicle idling, across its fleet of 104 vehicles thanks to the use of in-cab driver coaching technology from Lightfoot.

The technology has helped East of England Co-op achieve average fuel savings of up to 13.8%, and has also reduced vehicle idling by up to 9%.
 
This has helped the East of England Co-op, which operates a diverse range of grocery delivery vans, security vans, stonemason vans and flatbeds, funeral hearses and limousines, to remain on track to reduce its fleet CO2 emissions by 233 tonnes over the next five years.
 
One of the reasons that Lightfoot was adopted is because it aligns with East of England Co-op’s sustainability policy, enabling the Co-op to reduce the impact of its existing ICE fleets ahead of its planned switch to EVs in 2030.
 
Lightfoot’s ability to enhance the safety of the Co-op’s drivers, leading to 80% reductions in instances of harsh acceleration, a 25% drop in harsh braking, and a 20% drop in harsh cornering, was also key in the decision to roll-out the in-cab coaching and rewards platform fleet-wide. However, it was Lightfoot’s ability to give the Co-op’s drivers good reason to be smoother and safer, enabling them to become self-managing and self-moderating drivers, that appealed most to the cooperative.

East of England Co-op’s delivery vehicles are now managed by local branch managers, further boosting driver engagement. That enables the Co-op’s central teams to focus on other pressing fleet issues.
 
But even here, Lightfoot has a part to play, through its smartphone app-enabled vehicle-check facility, its servicing, tax and MOT alerts, and Lightfoot’s First Notice of Loss (FNOL) notification service, which alerts East of England Co-op should a vehicle become involved in an accident. This enables Luke and the team to immediately contact the driver to check on their wellbeing and, if necessary, to alert the emergency services or roadside assistance.
 
Paul Hollick, Managing Director of Lightfoot, commented: “East of England Co-op is a pathfinder partner on the Suffolk Carbon Charter. It recognises the importance of reducing its carbon footprint by empowering and incentivising its drivers to be smoother and safer on the road. That’s unlocked a wealth of CO2 savings, enabling the cooperative to decarbonise their existing ICE fleet, ahead of the transition to EV.
 
“Today, 96% of East of England Co-op drivers regularly achieve the weekly Elite Driver target. That’s up from 59% pre-Lightfoot and it’s leading to impressive fuel and emissions savings, as well as reductions in vehicle wear and tear, accidents, and idling. Together, we’re driving positive change for the better, one mile at a time, and we’re pre-conditioning the Co-op’s drivers to be EV-ready through Lightfoot’s range-extending style of driving.”