BRITAIN'S fleet drivers are having to operate on a transport network that is 'crumbling' due to year's of under-investment and the Government is facing the challenge of winning back their trust - lost through years of being subjected to soaring taxes - through a radical reassessment of their needs. John Dawson, the AA's head of policy, called for an urgent rethink on spending policies at the launch in London of a new report 'The Great British Motorist 2000: Lessons from European Transport and Travel'.

This is the result of a one-year investigation involving more than 4,000 drivers which showed in comparison with their European counterparts that UK fleet drivers and private motorists endure: The worst congestion, longest commuting times, highest prices for cars and fuel, are least likely to find workable alternative transport, and the worst car crime.However, Britain has the safest roads in Europe.

The AA says the root of the problem is 'a crisis of investment' that must be reversed to bring expenditure in the UK's transport infrastructure up to European levels. But Tony Leigh, Association of Car Fleet Operators' chairman, said: 'Simply upping investment or throwing more money at a problem will never be a complete solution. Integrated transport is not only about having more trains or buses. Simply ensuring that the alternative transport we have already is running efficiently, such as making sure the bus arrives when the train pulls into the station, should be a key goal.'