The Shropshire, Staffordshire, and Cheshire Blood Bikes charity has added four Dacia Jogger vehicles to its fleet of 18 motorbikes to ensure vital deliveries are made in hazardous weather conditions
A fleet of cars used for delivering urgent blood supplies in hazardous conditions has racked up over 40,000 miles in just three months.
The Shropshire, Staffordshire, and Cheshire Blood Bikes charity, run by volunteers, added four cars to its existing fleet of 18 motorbikes to ensure vital deliveries could be made in poor weather, for larger items, and for long-distance journeys.
This expansion means the charity can now operate non-stop, all year round. Since their introduction in mid-December, the Dacia Jogger vehicles have covered a total of 43,865 miles – with 19,353 of those miles clocked up in January alone.
Due to icy conditions at the start of 2025 making roads treacherous for motorcycles, the cars have completed 620 jobs, including transporting blood and other medical items such as donated breast milk. The charity opted for the car over small vans due to its practicality, reliability, and cost-effectiveness.
Blood Bikes typically cover more than 375,000 miles annually and carry out 7,000 urgent medical deliveries for NHS hospitals across Shropshire, Staffordshire, and Cheshire.
Jeremy Cartwright, chair of the charity, said: “Having cars in our fleet allows us to take on very long runs or to transport larger items when needed, but the primary use for the Dacia Jogger vehicles is to protect our service during bad weather.”
“We take on an increasing number of time-critical jobs where the delivery is linked to a specific theatre operation in the past, if we were unable to send a bike due to bad weather, the operation could be cancelled. Now we send a car instead.
“We primarily undertake urgent jobs which cannot be done using the hospital’s regular transport. If we are not available, the hospital will book a specialist courier or taxi, which can delay treatment and be costly.
“Adding the Dacia Joggers to our fleet provides increased service flexibility and choice for our volunteers, as well as saving the NHS money.”
Luke Broad from the car brand said: “This charity does an absolutely incredible job of helping the NHS and public. Their work is vital, and we are so pleased to help play a key support role.”