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30 June 2020

On The Road Again – With A Bit Of Help From Super Mum!

Returning idverde’s fleet of vehicles in the North and Northern Ireland region to multiple occupancy and supporting the return to work of many non-driver colleagues was a key operational priority following easing of the ‘non-essential’ work criteria by the Scottish Government and NI Assembly.

Initial measures to segregate crew cab vehicles with plastic sheeting led to very unpleasant travelling conditions for passengers. Although protecting from virus transmission it promoted motion sickness.

The solution was to replace the plastic with clear vinyl, tailored to suit our vehicle chassis, and providing ‘compartments’ for up to four colleagues to travel safely in our crew cab fleet.

With high demand on suppliers and the long lead times hampering our return, the answer to our needs was, literally, very close to home: our Regional Managing Director’s super mum, Barbara!

An experienced dressmaker with a passion for quilting, and all the necessary kit, Barbara took on the challenge to produce over 70 sets of vehicle separations to support our Regional return to work, stopping short only when our Groups Services Director asked how long it would take to do the whole UK fleet!

Sewing nearly 1km of Velcro to create the separations and cutting out just short of 500m2 of clear vinyl, the screens were made within two weeks, including weekends and nights, and all for the cost of a sewing machine service and a donation to her local Cerebral Palsy charity, saving us over £15,000. Well done Barbara!

Once the sheets were finished, our colleague Stewart Osbourne, and his daughter made an instructional video to ensure the vinyl was installed consistently across all vehicles.

A truly collaborative effort!