BRENTWOOD – Europe’s largest private hire firm, Addison Lee, has taken delivery of the first of the 1,200 Galaxy models which will join its fleet this year.

It is the largest single-year order that Addison Lee has ever placed with Ford. By November the firm’s 2,500-strong minicab fleet will be 100 per cent Ford.

The Galaxy models – all diesel, all automatic and, appropriately for Ford, all black – will be delivered at the rate of around 28 a week over the coming months.

Addison Lee fleet manager Rob Daniels said: “We spent three months assessing vehicles and talking to manufacturers; the Ford Galaxy emerged as the best package for us on many levels, not only financially. It is safe, offers low emissions and is economical to run.”

The outstanding economy of the Ford Galaxy 2.0 140PS TDCi PowerShift model was illustrated by Addison Lee last autumn, when one of their drivers achieved an average fuel consumption figure calculated to be 57.08mpg on the MPG Marathon (the UK’s premier economy driving event.)

The firm has cut emissions per journey by more than 17 per cent since 2002 and is working on a further six per cent year-on-year reduction.

Addison Lee is London’s premium minicab service and also offers chauffeur services, international delivery services, couriers and executive coaches. Founded in Battersea in 1975, Addison Lee carries 10 million passengers a year and couriers more than 40,000 deliveries every month.