Driving the smart cities of the future: CityFibre partners with Alphabet (GB) for flexible mobility solution

• Alphabet is providing an initial fleet of six branded MINI Cooper Hatchbacks and seven Ford Transit Custom vans, in Aberdeen, Bournemouth, Coventry, Huddersfield, Milton Keynes and Peterborough
• The MINIs will be delivered via Alphabet’s AlphaCity service, providing CityFibre with a pool of cars to be used by different employees with keyless entry
• The eye-catching CityFibre branded vehicles will support its dedicated field-based managers to travel around and excite local communities about the road to the smart cities of the future built on full fibre networks

CityFibre is the UK’s third national digital infrastructure platform, with full fibre networks in over 60 towns and cities. The company has plans to connect up to 8 million premises nationally, bringing transformational gigabit speeds to entire communities. CityFibre has dedicated city teams out in the field across the UK, making fleet a key part of its business.

Looking for a fully outsourced fleet management service, CityFibre were seeking a partner that could provide guidance and consultancy with a creative mobility solution. CityFibre needed a fleet solution which not only enabled its city, delivery and construction managers to attend site builds and events, but also one with eye-catching branding to create excitement for local communities and residents about the transformational benefits that full fibre enables.

Alphabet proved the perfect fit for CityFibre, with its unique MINI UK and AlphaCity integrated solution and is providing CityFibre with a pool of cars that can be shared by multiple employees as most journeys around the city will only take a few minutes; meaning CityFibre isn’t paying for unused, idle vehicles.

CityFibre is launching an initial fleet of six branded MINI Cooper 3-Door Hatchbacks and seven Ford Transit Custom vans, in Aberdeen, Bournemouth, Coventry, Huddersfield, Milton Keynes and Peterborough. The MINIs have been designed in the unmissable green and yellow CityFibre brand colours, creating a striking appearance to grab attention and educate local residents on the innovative technology they will soon be able to take advantage of. Following a successful launch, CityFibre and Alphabet are looking towards a long-term solution of a fully electrified fleet across the entire CityFibre business.

Alphabet is providing full business contract hire including maintenance, accident management, and exterior cleaning services, with the AlphaCity service enabling employees to book and access the vehicles through an online system, utilising keyless entry. This feature is particularly important in a time when managing hygiene and distancing factors remain central to businesses and removes the risk of misplaced keys at handover. The vehicles remain trackable and easily accessible, allowing CityFibre’s dedicated employees to focus on inspiring and exciting new communities with transformational services.

Chris Stening, Consumer Director at CityFibre says: “Our in-field employees need to travel around the cities they’re based in quickly and easily, which is why we wanted to find the right partner to outsource our fleet management to. Alphabet was a great choice for us, as our brand values align so well, and they bring the experience in fleet that we were looking for to bolster our business successes. We’re looking forward to working together with Alphabet, to build a platform for the smart city of the future.”

Daniel Broom, Major Corporate Sales Manager at Alphabet (GB) says: “While life as we know it may have changed dramatically over the last few months, we’ve continued to work hard throughout this time to support our new and existing partners and keep businesses on the move. Providing a fully outsourced solution to CityFibre has been a great success during these challenging times and CityFibre’s field-based teams are now taking advantage of the flexibility that comes with our AlphaCity service to safely navigate their cities. This is only the start of our partnership with CityFibre and we’re excited to be proactively working with them to create and supply the best fleet management solutions for the future.”