ER24 is the premier private emergency medical care provider in South Africa, operating from 59 bases and utilising over 300 emergency vehicles.
As part of our ongoing commitment to reducing our impact on the environment, Mediclinic has committed to a number of challenging goals. We aim to be carbon-neutral by 2030, and as part of this, ER24 and Mediclinic Southern Africa’s fleet are going green, all with the help of Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM).
The Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid will join the ER24 fleet and be utilised by our advanced life support paramedics predominantly in metropolitan areas.
Rhett Davis, the ER24 Fleet and Procurement Manager, explains why the Hybrid is essential for our needs. “The Fleet department spent a day with the Hospital General Manager of Mediclinic Midstream and TSAM, where we were afforded the opportunity of driving the entire Cross Range and similar category vehicles. Furthermore, Peter van der Spuy, General Manager of Quality Assurance and Support Services, tested the vehicle selected in a metro setting to confirm suitability for Operations’ said Davis.
Several factors were considered when selecting a vehicle to join the state-of-the-art fleet. The Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid met all the requirements, including safety, practicality, road presence, manufacturing reputation and very importantly, decreased environmental impact.
Clynton Yon from Toyota Corporate Communications shared his insights on Toyota and the future of Hybrids. “A pioneer in the field of hybrid technology, Toyota introduced the Prius, the world’s first mass-produced petrol-electric vehicle, way back in 1997. Positioning itself as the undisputed leader in this field, the Japanese automaker has progressively refined its hybrid system to provide exceptional fuel consumption coupled with class-leading green credentials.”
As a longstanding vehicle supplier to ER24, Toyota is pleased that this world-class emergency services company has once again chosen one of its products to augment its fleet: “A home-grown product built in our very own Prospecton facility in Durban, we are proud of our association with ER24 and have no doubt that the Corolla Cross Hybrid will more than exceed expectations, striking the perfect balance between value, performance, efficiency and ease of use.”
This decision has been extended to include Mediclinic hospital representatives who would need to use their vehicles regularly, such as Doctor Relationship Managers and hospital administration vehicles. Octavia Hlongwane, Doctor Relationship Manager at Mediclinic Legae, said, “I love the vehicle, especially after driving my old corolla for more than five years. The car comes with leather touch seats, which makes it look luxurious, and is automatic, which makes it very easy to drive. It’s big, I can pack lots of things in the boot, and the actual car is very comfortable. I spend half what I used to spend on the old car on petrol. I like the feature it has on caring for the environment; when the car comes to a halt, it tells how well one has driven, e.g. ensuring that the car is constantly charging and on the green level. So it shows when the car is on the green mode, meaning there is no carbon emission. I find that it also attracts “the people’s eye”, and I like that because they get to see our branding”.
ER24 is proud to utilise the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid, helping us to provide Real Help, Real Fast, even faster and greener.