Royal Shrewsbury Hospital’s portering team has embraced electric driving after taking delivery of a new Ford E-Transit in December 2025, according to Portering & Logistics Manager Ali Beshir.
For the porters, the move meant their first experience of an electric vehicle and a change from a familiar manual gearbox. Initial doubts soon gave way to enthusiasm as the team put the E-Transit to work on busy multi-drop days.
“It has completely transformed our daily operations”
Reflecting on the team’s experience, Ali said:
“When we took possession of our brand-new Ford E-Transit in December 2025, our porters were a bit dubious at first. None of them had ever driven an electric vehicle before, and they were highly sceptical about moving away from a traditional manual gearbox to an automatic style setup.
“Those doubts disappeared almost instantly. The seamless, single-speed power delivery completely eliminated driver fatigue during heavy multi-drop days, and the instant torque makes hauling heavy payloads effortless. It didn't take long for the team to completely adapt to features like regenerative braking. Today, the team fights over who gets the keys to the E-Transit—it has completely transformed our daily operations.”
Ali Beshir
Portering & Logistics Manager
Royal Shrewsbury Hospital
Supporting the move to electric
Read how Day’s Rental developed bespoke electric tail-lift vehicles for two NHS trusts, including The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust.
If your organisation is considering electric vehicle hire, contact the Day’s Rental team to discuss your daily routes, payload requirements and specialist equipment needs.
