Slashing Vehicle Downtime with Ford Uptime Services

Sep 02, 2026

DUNTON, UK – When it comes to fixing leaky taps or building new houses, Ford commercial vehicles are the backbone of L&Q. As London’s largest housing trust, with over 100,000 residents, its goal is to ensure that everybody who lives in one of its properties has a safe and decent home and access to services they can rely on.

Robin Jeffery, Fleet Manager, L&Q, explains: “Our fleet of 600 Ford vehicles enable our operatives to carry out essential repairs and maintenance for our residents every day. But for years, we faced a persistent and costly challenge: vehicle downtime.

“On average, we were losing 58 days every month with vehicles sitting in garages awaiting anything from routine servicing to urgent repairs. Each day a van is off the road, it’s not just an administrative headache — it's a direct impact on our ability to help residents. The costs come quickly; lost productivity, repair bills and administrative overheads all add up.”

To help address the issue, L&Q a year ago turned to Ford Uptime Services that uses the connected data from vehicles to proactively manage their health and prevent downtime before it happens. The results have been nothing short of transformative.

L&Q’s vehicle downtime has been slashed from 58 days a month to just 23. That’s a 60 per cent reduction. The trust has reclaimed an average 35 days of operational time every single month. Financially, the impact is just as significant, with an estimated saving of around £17,000 per month.

Our partnership with Ford Pro has allowed us to run a smarter, more efficient fleet, ensuring our teams have the tools they need, when they need them

Robin Jeffery

Fleet Manager, L&Q

“That £17,000 is real money I can save for us to spend on making a real difference,” Robin adds. “We’re a not-for-profit organisation, so all the money L&Q makes is reinvested into helping those in greatest need. So, as well as helping us support our existing residents more effectively, Ford Uptime Services has freed up more resources for us to build and manage affordable homes, investing in communities and furthering our social mission.”

Summing up, Rob says: “Our partnership with Ford Pro has allowed us to run a smarter, more efficient fleet, ensuring our teams have the tools they need, when they need them. Ford Uptime Services has fundamentally changed how we operate and proved that investing in the right technology doesn't just improve the bottom line — it improves the service we promise to our residents too.”