2022: Final update of the year from our CCO

Hello Everyone,

My final blog of 2022 and just a few days ‘til Christmas…..

Toys and Turkey aside, I have always found Christmas a time to take a breath and celebrate the people and things we have around us. For many of us this will be the first “proper” Christmas we’ve had for a few years, I’m certainly looking forward to enjoying normality.

2022: a combination of strike action, political turmoil, and the energy crisis, all conspired to make this year increasingly challenging but at Addison Lee, we have always faced challenges head on. Resilience has been a key value for us, as a business that has seen much change over the 47 years it has been in operation. We have been able to deal with the knocks, but also take advantage of the opportunities that all these challenges present and as I reflect on the year, I’m proud of what we have been able to achieve.

It’s been just over a year since we introduced electric vehicles on to our fleet. Those first 450 VW ID.4s have now covered 6 million EV miles and saved 2 million kg of carbon from London’s air. What a fantastic achievement so far. Last week, we kicked off the 2nd phase of the growth of our EV fleet and by January 2023 we will have 1,000 EVs operating in London. That’s 50% of our standard fleet operating with zero emissions. We have also secured deals with bp pulse and Bonnet to give our drivers access to over 4,000 rapid chargers across London at reduced charging rates.

I am also really proud of the evolution of our partnership with UN Women UK. We have been working with UN Women UK to co-create enhanced driver and employee training. Through this engagement we have unveiled a number of safety ambassadors within our driver base – across PHV, taxi and courier. We have a long-term partnership with UN Women UK and have plans to take our work further in the New Year – visit our website for all info on the partnership. We will be looking for client collaboration in 2023 and our teams will be in touch.

Another positive this year was the return of industry events and awards. It has been great to get back out there, meet with industry partners and peers and dust the dinner jacket off…….. This year we were recognised by three award committees; at the National Courier Awards, we won the Client Collaboration, at the Taxi Summit Awards we won Private Hire Company of the Year and then to cap things off we were awarded the Environment Award at the QSi Pro Driver awards. What an honour!

As 2022 comes to an end I’m feeling incredibly grateful for the people I work alongside day-to-day. I truly believe that our teams and the experience we have seen us succeed in navigating the challenges of this year. I’m also grateful for our customers – the loyalty shown to brand with the return to travel has been incredible and we’ve transformed some long-standing relationships into true partnerships.

2023 will bring; new and improved technology, electrification and a continued focus on drivers, all underpinned by a good measure of agility allowing us to continue leading the industry.
I wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas and I look forward to working with you all in the New Year.

Wesley Bishop – Chief Commercial Officer