Patrick McGillycuddy, head of fleet, Škoda UK, looks at the impact of the 'no' vote on fleet.

The devolution vote was an emotive subject for everyone in Scotland - but for those running a fleet, the outcome comes with a serious impact whichever side of the border you’re based.

Even though the Scots decided to remain a part of Britain, there will still be changes to the powers the country has over its population and region.

Politicians in the ‘Better Together’ camp were very quick to say they’d honour promises of additional powers.

And you get the feeling that they may have realised that when 1.6 million people vote to leave the UK, they need to respond to it or face losing votes at the next general election.

What’s more, even with a no-vote, other regions around the UK will not only be wanting similar treatment to Scotland, but the Westminster politicians are more likely to listen too.

While we don’t yet know exactly what the changes will bring for our neighbours north of the border, there are a few things that are sure, even if they aren’t written in legislation yet.

For cities and distinct regions around the UK there is now the realisation that greater powers are possible at their level.

With this seed of an idea, it wouldn’t be a huge jump to think that transport initiatives, like those seen in London, could be part of those regional plans.

Several cities around Britain have already mooted the idea of setting up zones where only the most efficient cars can drive, or at least drive without paying some sort of toll.

Birmingham, Manchester and other major cities are already working on plans to improve urban transport with a green agenda.

We may not know the exact details of these plans, but one thing is for sure; they all follow the same theme, and that’s the desire to cut carbon dioxide emissions.

What this means at a fleet operator level is that any planning should keep one eye on the future. We’re not just talking about ordering low CO2 cars.

Surely that’s something all sensible fleet operators are doing.

What I’m talking about here is the subtleties within these plans, such as anti-diesel sentiments or pro-hybrid initiatives.