FRAIKIN TO SUPPLY HARROW COUNCIL WITH NEW MINIBUS TRANSPORT SERVICE FOR CHILDREN

Fraikin has signed a sale and lease back agreement with Harrow Council for a fleet of 40 vehicles to be used for a new pooled transport service, which will help young people with special needs get to school.

The initiative is a joint venture between Harrow Council and Brent Council, with Harrow taking over the running of Brent’s Passenger Transport Service. As part of the deal, Fraikin has delivered 30 new Mercedes-Benz Sprinter accessible vehicles and 10 minibuses which will gradually replace the older vehicles with new models on a full-service contract hire basis.

The new deliveries include vehicles adapted for wheelchair use and fitted with CCTV equipment to maximise passenger safety. The fleet will be based at Harrow Council’s depot in Wealdstone, where Fraikin is already responsible for a comprehensive repair and maintenance operation.

Under the new deal, Fraikin will fleet manage the vehicles, with all maintenance work scheduled out-of-hours to deliver maximum uptime for both local authorities.

Venetia Reid Baptise, Divisional Director – Commissioning Services at Harrow Council, says: “Fraikin’s expertise means we have got a fantastic cost-effective package that not only provides a new fleet of vehicles to transport our residents, but allows them to travel in a safe and comfortable environment.

“Routine maintenance schedules have been designed from the outset to maximise fleet uptime, meaning the minibuses are never out of action during the week when we need them most. Fraikin made everything very easy for us and their quick service was impressive.”

The minibuses will be operational up to five days a week and primarily used as part of the Harrow and Brent Transport Hub, taking up to 800 children from home to school and each covering between 12,000 and 15,000 miles a year.

As well as providing home to school transport, the Harrow and Brent Transport Hub helps young people with disabilities enjoy full and varied lives, offering them the opportunity to take part in after-school activities, sports clubs and trips.

Fraikin has worked with Harrow Council to supply and maintain its vehicle requirements for more than two decades, and became responsible for supplying and maintaining 100 per cent of the council’s commercial vehicle fleet in 2002.

Chris Longmuir, Business Development Director at Fraikin, says: “We keep Harrow Council’s budgetary requirements at the heart of everything we do, and we manage the fleet to ensure it delivers fantastic performance. This focus has been central to the success of our close partnership, and we’re delighted to be expanding our responsibilities even further.”

Through Fraikin, Harrow Council operate a range of assets, including vans, minibuses and refuse collection vehicles, plus bespoke-built plant trailers, excavators, tractors, sweepers, mowers and quad bikes.

ends

Notes to editor:

About Fraikin
Fraikin Ltd is part of the Fraikin Group, the largest commercial vehicle fleet services company in Europe, providing expert fleet management, contract hire and rental solutions to both the private and public sector. The Fraikin Group, established in France in 1944 by Gérard Fraikin, has operations in 16 countries, with more than 2,800 employees, 7,000 clients, 180 branches and a fleet of 60,000 vehicles. Its operations span Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Morocco, Netherlands, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Poland and the UK. Since 2007 Fraikin has been owned by CVC Capital Partners, one of the world’s leading private equity and investment advisory firms.

For further press information please contact:

Gary Baker at Garnett Keeler PR on 020 8647 4467 or by email to gary.baker@garnettkeeler.com

To access Fraikin’s online newsroom please visit https://gk.news/fraikin/ 

FRA/062/17


About Fraikin

Fraikin Ltd is part of the Fraikin Group, the largest commercial vehicle fleet services company in Europe, providing expert fleet management, contract hire and rental solutions to both the private and public sectors. The Fraikin Group, established in France in 1944 by Gérard Fraikin, has operations across Europe, with more than 3,000 employees, 11,200 clients, 171 branches and a fleet of more than 60,000 vehicles. Its operations span the Benelux countries, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, and the UK.


Contacts

Jack Hunsley, Garnett Keeler PR
+44 (0)20 8647 4467
jack.hunsley@garnettkeeler.com
Fraikin
Fraikin Ltd
First Floor, 2M, Middlemarch Business Park
Siskin Drive
Coventry
CV3 4FJ


+44 (0)2476 694 494
talk-to-us@fraikin.co.uk
http://www.fraikin.co.uk