The Big Issue Group has begun its switch to electric commercial vehicles after announcing a three-year partnership with manufacturer Citroen.
The social enterprise’s fleet of 16 diesel vans currently covers 350,000 miles a year, transporting more than two million magazines to 3,300 vendors across the UK.
The first electric vans will be used in Bristol, Bath, Bournemouth, Norwich and Newcastle from today (August 15) and will be gradually rolled out across its operations by 2025.
The move comes after The Big Issue launched a pilot e-bike hire scheme in Bristol earlier this year, to encourage sustainable travel and tackle unemployment.
The organisation said its adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) had come at a “vital time”, with many cities now becoming Clean Air Zones, including Bath and with Bristol set to follow, where older vehicles are charged for travelling in city centres to reduce pollution.
The Big Issue said that as well as reducing its CO2 emissions, the move would also tackle “soaring” fuel costs.
Russell Blackman, Big Issue Group managing director of commercial, said: “Our partnership [with Citroen] will allow us to make even greater strides in the support and services we provide for the most marginalised across the country. In cities and remote, rural locations, we will be able to respond quickly when our vendors need us the most.
“This is a great demonstration of how two leading brands are working together, driving change for good.”
Eurig Druce, Citroen’s UK managing director, added: “We are thrilled to partner with Big Issue Group in their important work ‘changing lives through enterprise’, and in particular to support their transition to electric vehicles so they can become more sustainable."
Laurentiu Lukacs, who sells the magazine in Bristol, said it was "good" the company was starting to go greener for the planet.
“My customers like it when the magazine covers political issues – so, I think they will be happy that we are starting to use electric vehicles," he added.
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