New survey reveals how much we rely on the good old van
We are a nation of van lovers and rightly so – they deliver our parcels, take us to and from the airport, help us remove unwanted items to our local tip and more importantly, they carry people in need to the hospital every day of the week all over the country.
The Society of Motor manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) conducted a survey and out of those who took part, nearly half said they had benefited from the use of a van within the last 24 hours.
A whopping 88% of UK consumers think that everyday would be made worse if commercial vehicles had restrictions placed on them.
New survey reveals how much we rely on the good old van © Copyright Nigel Davies and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Vans are becoming more and more associated with online deliveries but are also vital for other services such as delivering mail, taking rubbish to the tip or for minibus transport, all of which are relied upon by people in the UK.
“There are 5 million commercial vehicles on Britain’s roads and they play a vital role in powering our essential services,” said Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive.
The SMMT believe the role they play in our society is generally overlooked, however when prodded, 84% acknowledged how much they depend on them on a daily basis.
According to SMMT figures, there are 1.8 million sole traders and 17,228 registered ambulances – these carry around 5 million people a year to Hospital.
The UK is the biggest market in Europe for online delivers, with a total market worth £67.3 billion – a staggering 17.6% of all retail sales.
It’s the good old reliable van that delivers 1.9 billion tonnes of online sales to customers per year and this figure is rising continually.
More van stats from the SMMT reveal that they deliver three times more goods than rail and water combined and according to the Office for National Statistics, in total the van contributes £27.5 billion to the UK economy.
The Commercial Vehicle Show 2018 is on this week at the NEC Birmingham, running from 24 – 26 April and 21,000 people are expected to attend.
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