Europe’s largest car courier service, Addison Lee, has sponsored the London Six Day cycling event for the second time. Sponsoring two of the 16 teams that raced from 25-30 October 2016, Addison Lee will also announce a ‘major new driver training, cycling safety initiative’ in the coming days.
The sponsorship and new cycle safety initiative follows criticism in the past for the firm’s attitude towards cyclists. In 2012, the company faced a backlash and protests after its Chairman suggested cyclist death and injury was inevitable due to increasing cyclist numbers. Speaking on behalf of motorists at the time, Chairman John Griffin said “It is time for us to say to cyclists ‘You want to join our gang, get trained and pay up’.”
It is clear that the firm is aiming to build bridges with its sponsorship of the London Six Day event. Spectators on all six days were able to hire reduced price Addison Lee cars to and from the event venue, at the London Olympic Velodrome.
With the Addison Lee logo emblazoned on two of the 16 teams, the company added that it was ‘very proud to once again be supporting the best of competitive cycling in the capital.’
The Six Day event (where Addison Lee was among those handing out prizes to victorious teams) came just a week ahead of a major announcement from Addison Lee on a new cycling safety initiative as part of its driver training programme.
In 2015, at the inaugural Six Day event, Addison Lee launched the ‘CycleCab’ service allowing cyclists to travel with their bikes in the back of one of Addison Lee’s Ford Galaxy vehicles. This campaign is celebrating a successful first anniversary and Addison Lee is happy to offer reduced fares on CycleCab and its other services to all spectators at the Six Day event.
Addison Lee, CEO, Andy Boland said “Addison Lee is proud to be one of the safest parts of the London transport ecosystem. Our driver training leads the way in making the streets safer for all users. We are delighted to continue to support elite cycling as part of our commitment to ensuring that our drivers are the best on London’s roads.”
Addison Lee adds that its commitment to cycling safety is ‘at the heart of the business’. Cyclist awareness and safety is one of the core modules at Addison Lee’s driver training school; others include comprehensive equality and diversity for all drivers as well as first aid and defensive driving training.
Founded in Battersea in 1975, Addison Lee is Europe’s largest private hire car service company. Addison Lee offers a full range of transport services, courier and international delivery services. With a fleet of 4,500 premium vehicles, Addison Lee uses bespoke allocation software, offering an average pick up time of four minutes in Central London with a fulfilment rate that stands at 99%.
The new and improved Addison Lee app has been designed to make getting around easier – its ‘take me home’ function means that customers can book a cab home in just two simple taps. Addison Lee adds that it has won 12 business awards and numerous environmental awards including the 2015 Green Fleet Award for Private Hire/Taxi Company of the Year and a 2016 International Safety Council Award.
www.addisonlee.com
www.sixday.com
