PIZZA Hut has created its own £250,000 fleet services division that will eventually be available to other firms that run motorbike fleets.

The Hertfordshire-based enterprise will maintain Pizza Hut's fleet of 1,300 pizza delivery bikes and will also train its riders.

Despite being owned by Pizza Hut, the group plans to roll the support centre services out to other motorcycle fleets later in the UK, creating the only motorcycle fleet support centre of its kind in the UK.

The new Hertfordshire-based depot provides a workshop for Pizza Hut's mobile fleet of bike technicians and also houses the licence administration department, responsible for carrying out driver checks.

Mick O'Dwyer, fleet support centre manager at the new depot, said: 'The central licensing team is based at the fleet support unit. Each driver undergoes a health screening, licence check and an endorsement check. No-one with more than six points on their driving licence is employed with licences checked annually and files kept on all drivers.'

Mopeds on the Pizza Hut fleet are serviced every four weeks, which includes a full check and repairs to any damage on the bike. Although mobile technicians will continue to service individual bikes at local sites, those requiring more extensive repairs will be brought to the support centre.

Driver training also forms an integral part of the unit, with Pizza Hut working in conjunction with the Department for Transport and local outlets. Drivers have to be aged at least 18 to be employed by the group and undergo a two-day training programme.

Pizza Hut is continuing to expand its fleet, adding around 400 mopeds each year, with vehicles being kept on average for three years.

Speaking at the opening of the new centre, Pizza Hut's chief executive officer, John Derkach, said: 'Delivery is a huge part of our business. Our bikes do about seven million miles every year, so it's vital that we have a proper support system for them.'