Scottish driver fears lease car collection work could spread Covid-19

A vehicle lease firm is “driving a coach and horses” through the lockdown regulations by forcing drivers to continue collecting cars from customers’ homes, an insider has claimed.
BCA Logistics said transporting cars was considered essential work. Picture: Matt Cardy.BCA Logistics said transporting cars was considered essential work. Picture: Matt Cardy.
BCA Logistics said transporting cars was considered essential work. Picture: Matt Cardy.

A driver for BCA Logistics told The Scotsman that the continued working by its 2,000 workers could be spreading Covid-19 across Britain.

His job involves travelling by public transport and in minibuses shared with up to eight colleagues to pick up lease-expired vehicles from people’s houses.

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The company has told its drivers they are essential workers because it is a logistics provider.

BCA Logistics sent them a copy of a letter from the UK Department for Transport to freight and haulage groups which said it was “essential that the work of the logistics sector should continue to the greatest extent possible”.

However, one Scotland-based driver for the company said: “I feel this letter was intended for logistics organisations from the essential services sector, not the motor industry.

“By no stretch of the imagination is this an essential service and we are in fact possibly helping to spread this virus across the whole country.

“I cover the whole country in the course of a week - Reading to Ullapool has been done, and everything in between.

“This is a company that is being irresponsible and driving a coach and horses through the rules of lockdown to protect a non-essential business with no conscience for the consequences for the drivers’ or public’s health, or stopping Covid-19 spreading further.”

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But a BCA spokesperson said: “We continue to follow government advice which states that logistic companies should keep working to keep the country moving and the economy going.

“This position has been clarified further by guidance from the British Vehicle Rental & Leasing Association which was released on 3rd April 2020 to support the continued collection and distribution of vehicles.

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“At BCA, we are absolutely committed to do everything we can to help our people, our customers, partners, suppliers and self-employed contractors during these testing times.

“We are very grateful to our skilled and dedicated staff and self-employed contractors in undertaking this work.

“BCA requests its suppliers and self-employed contractors running their own businesses should take all the precautions they feel are necessary to meet government guidelines at this time.

“No drivers are being forced to work during the coronavirus outbreak, as BCA Logistics can only make an offer of work to self-employed contractors, who can then choose to either accept or decline.

“Similarly, BCA Logistics it cannot make self-employed contractors take on any work they do not want to undertake.

”Following the Government guidelines on working practices as the situation evolves, the BCA leadership team are in constant communication to identify the measures needed to support the health and safety of everyone at BCA.”

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