Smart Fleet
Ensuring that our customers' waste and recycling is collected 24/7 come rain or shine, whilst prioritising road safety, is paramount to our fleet operations.
We also use the latest developments in smart technology to provide an industry-leading safe and reliable service that minimises our impact on air pollution.
ULEZ Compliant Fleet
In April 2019, the Mayor of London launched the Ultra Low Emission Zone to clean up London’s toxic air by discouraging higher polluting vehicles from entering the city’s congestion zone. Our 70+ truck fleet was the first in the city to be fully ULEZ-compliant.
All of First Mile’s HGVs are Euro VI, which means they release less than half the amount of nitrogen oxide and particulate matter of a standard diesel car, and three times less than the average black cab. Until electric HGVs are viable, First Mile is committed to ensuring our collection fleet is the cleanest in the market. In fact, we were already phasing in Euro VI vehicles two years before ULEZ came into force, an investment of £3 million.
In addition, over 200 of our daily deliveries are completed by zero-emission electric vans and, in central London, we also have a First Mile cargo bicycle, which saves 7 tonnes of CO2 emissions every year.
Top Tech
Our vehicles are fitted with Verizon telematics software to deter idling, heavy braking and fast acceleration, minimising unnecessary emissions and improving road safety. Since the installation of Verizon telematics technology in every First Mile vehicle, the idling time has decreased by nearly 70%, to an average of 7 minutes per driver in a three month period.
The First Mile Driver App optimises journeys to reduce emissions, with real-time updates re-routing around road closures and heavy traffic. The system also instantly updates for extra jobs – should a bundle of cardboard or sack of coffee grounds need picking up, the system will redirect the closest driver to collect.
It’s because of our pioneering tech that we maintain a 99.96% collection success rate across our network of customers.
Safe and Secure
Hundreds of thousands of vehicles drive through central London every day. For the safety of our drivers and other road users, every First Mile vehicle is GPS-tracked and CCTV-monitored.
Upon starting at First Mile, all drivers attend the First Mile Driver Academy, completing an induction programme and driving assessment. Our drivers have achieved an average safety score of 97.4% on Verizon this year, compared to a European average of 85%.
‘Love the Environment’ is one of our core values at First Mile, and our recycling solutions go hand-in-hand with sustainable operations. Smart technology allows us to operate efficiently in a city as complex as London whilst significantly reducing our effect on the city’s air quality.
With ULEZ set to cover the whole of Greater London from 2021, and Birmingham’s Clean Air Zone coming into force in 2020, First Mile will continue to lead the way in making London and Birmingham cleaner and greener places to be.
