Road infrastructure, Clean Air Zones and the adoption of alternative fuels top the list of challenges faced by UK fleet and mobility managers over the next five years, according to authoritative new research.

The findings come from Arval Mobility Observatory, which gains insight from businesses through a wide ranging set of questions designed to uncover broader trends and concerns.

When asked, “What do you see as the main challenges facing fleets in the next five years?”, 43% of respondents cited a lack of road infrastructure as the top issue. The introduction of more Clean Air Zones in urban areas (30%) and the implementation of suitable alternative fuel technologies (30%) followed, while unclear Government policy towards transport (27%), increased vehicle taxation (23%) and increased driver personal taxation (16%) were also reported as key issues.

Shaun Sadlier (pictured), Head of Arval Mobility Observatory in the UK, said: “It’s clear that businesses are thinking very hard about the practicalities surrounding the day-to-day use of cars and vans, as shown in their concerns over road infrastructure and Clean Air Zones.

“The latter especially is a subject that is potentially quite confusing, with a whole range of different measures being adopted across the country and some now being delayed by the coronavirus crisis. This complexity might be the cause of fleet manager concerns.”

Related to clean air, he said, was the implementation of alternative fuel technology which, for the vast majority of fleets during the next five years, would mean electric and plug-in cars and vans. 

“This is a major shift but our experience is that the transition turns out to be relatively painless in the real world and brings a wide range of benefits for businesses and drivers. Certainly, conditions for adoption get easier all the time.”