FORS is recognised with Royal Award
The Royal Awards, which are presented annually, recognise achievements in road safety and are awarded to the most outstanding examples of innovation across the world. The FORS initiative was awarded the annual Fleet Award, sponsored by the Institute of Advanced Motorists, after judges agreed it was an outstanding model of its kind, carefully planned and monitored and well overdue for recognition.
Launched in 2008, FORS is a unique industry led accreditation scheme which helps operators improve operational performance and safety, measure and monitor performance as well as ensure and demonstrate compliance and best practice. More than 2,200 accredited companies, operating over 180,000 vehicles, are now part of the scheme, a third of which are in the construction and aggregates industry, leading the way to improve the safety of vulnerable road users.
Despite originally being a “London” scheme, around two thirds of FORS accredited operators are now based outside the M25. The FORS standard is widely regarded as 'the' national road safety and efficiency benchmark for commercial fleet operators. Many major developers, including Mace, British Land and Crossrail, now require fleet operators to be part of FORS to provide a demonstration of a commitment to sustainable fleet activities, such as a FORS accreditation.
Building on this, TfL is working with the industry to bring an external partner onboard to help expand FORS more widely, ensuring its continued success both across London and more widely across the UK. The scheme will be officially rolled out across the UK in January 2015 and an announcement on the successful partner will be announced later this year.
Leon Daniels, Managing Director for Surface Transport at TfL said, “FORS has helped transform how fleet and freight vehicles operate in London, encouraging greater compliance, better training, lower emissions and improved road safety. We are delighted to be awarded this international award, which shows the determination and drive we are putting into making London’s roads better for all.”