LEX Vehicle Leasing has won a solus contract to supply Connect South West with 280 vehicles on contract hire. The Exeter-based electrical contractor opted for a contract hire arrangement after its management bought the concern from the South West Electricity Board (SWEB).

Faced with the task of establishing a fleet operation from scratch, Connect researched various acquisition methods and reached the conclusion that contract hire would reduce transport costs by around 20% a year. The majority of the vehicles are either Ford Transit diesels or Escort diesel vans which will all be equipped with special ladder racks for use by electrical contractors who service Connect customers all over the south of England.

The vans will be supplied on five-year non-maintenance contracts with servicing undertaken by SWEB Fleet Services. The remainder of the vehicles - 70 management and pool cars, featuring a selection from Peugeot's model range including the 806 people carrier, a 605, several 306 and 406 and 25 106 diesels - are all on three-year contracts with maintenance.