Abri, a not-for-profit housing provider based in Hampshire
, has taken delivery of the first of 250 Volkswagen Transporter panel vans, all fitted with a bespoke conversion in the load area.
Responsible for maintaining over 40,000 homes and assets across the South of England, the new fleet of vehicles will be used to support customer visits and in-house maintenance with their class-leading payloads combined with comfort and practicality.
Each of the vehicles — all are Volkswagen Transporter T32 Panel vans in Startline LWB with Business Pack spec, with a 2.0-litre 150hp diesel engine — has been customised with a flexible yet highly standardised shelving system designed to carry materials, tools and equipment for a variety of trades. The conversion was a joint development process between Abri, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles and TGS Automotive.
“We had that rare opportunity of replacing a large proportion of our existing fleet in one tranche,” explained Andy Pearce, Abris’ group fleet manager. “Working with vehicle users, we were determined to best support the service we offer our customers, through much improved on-board stock management, whilst offering a desirable, fit-for-purpose working environment to our vehicle users. Fixing issues first time is what our customers want, and a correctly specified vehicle, supporting skilled tradespeople, enables us to do this.”
Craig Cavanagh, national fleet manager at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, added: “We’re delighted that Abri has selected our Transporter panel van to support its Housing Partners with customer visits. We’re confident that the vehicle’s impressive payload, alongside a custom racking solution by TGS Automotive, will enable this vital work to continue.”
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