Offering cash incentives to drivers could cut fuel consumption by 20%, emissions software group Lysanda suggests. The company is confident that if drivers receive a share of any fuel cost savings they achieve, then they will change their driving patterns immediately. Simon Harris, Lysanda's marketing director, says: "A driver will only be persuaded to maximise skill if there is something in it for him or her. Why would they concentrate so hard if all the benefits go to the operator?"
Following
two years of development, Lysanda has now launched a piece of software that tracks driving behaviour. Called Eco-Log, the programme monitors driving patterns and informs operators how much fuel use is essential and how much is wasted. Lysanda says eight operators are either in the process of setting up a trial for Eco-Log, or already piloting it.
Managing director of driving training firm Wallace School of Transport, Neil Wallace, believes rewarding drivers is a sensible idea. "If you reward a driver financially, that driver can make a big difference on fuel economy, as it requires safer driving." Harris adds that urban operations have the most potential for fuel savings.
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