The vast majority of fleet managers are expecting their fleets to grow over the next 12 months. 81 per cent of operators surveyed within the Alphabet Fleet Management Report (AFMR) have a positive outlook for the year ahead. The survey, which is based on responses from 250 fleet managers, includes year-on-year comparisons and finds that manager positivity is up 11 per cent from 70 per cent in 2011. Almost a third of fleet managers (31 per cent) also forecast an increase in their overall fleet budgets _ up four per cent from 27 per cent in 2011. The AFMR also found that pool cars are currently the most popular area of existing investment for businesses. They are increasingly viewed as a cost-effective and more financially manageable alternative to hire cars and taxis. Paul Hollick, sales and marketing director of Alphabet, said: "Fleet has outperformed the private car market through the recession and the Government should carefully consider making sweeping changes to vehicle excise duty, company car tax and capital allowances; especially where it affects the market for ultra-low carbon vehicles as fleet managers have clearly stated that the cost of going green is a concern. "We wait with interest to see if the Government increases the subsidies for Electric Vehicles to help push the market. Meanwhile, an education job is required to address the misapprehension that switching to greener vehicles is a cost to be written off, when in principle pursuing green fleet policies will deliver cost savings in a number of different areas, especially fuel." Fleet managers are also keeping one eye on their environmental responsibilities, with 40 per cent of operators surveyed having invested in hybrid vehicles, 37 per cent in telematics and 28 per cent in electric vehicles. Interestingly, it is the public sector that is leading the way in terms of technological investment in fleets; and is significantly more likely to invest in the above technologies than their private sector counterparts. Half of all public sector fleet operators listed technology investment as a going concern compared with just 19 per cent of private firms.
