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Setting Records is All in a Day’s Work for This Van
We’ve learned a lot about Transit during its 60th anniversary year – from its role inspiring generations of engineers to fun facts about how many students can squeeze into a 1965 Transit minibus.
Perhaps the biggest lesson, however, is that Transit never takes a break – and the iconic van has one more big job to do in 2025: Help deliver Christmas.
It goes without saying that Transit and its hard-working drivers in their thousands will be literally delivering packages of Christmas cheer in the run up to the big day.
But let’s not forget those businesses providing important services so that the rest of us can continue to enjoy the Festive season – the sole traders and come-to-your-aiders like plumbers and electricians on call to handle Christmas callouts; or the roadside recovery specialists getting you to family just in time for turkey.
Here are some other examples of how Transit transports a full payload of Christmas spirit...
Letters to Lapland
This Christmas, Ford engineer Matthew Rice, his wife and three young children are setting off on a 3,000 km journey in their Transit to deliver a full postbag of children’s letters to Santa in Lapland.
With their epic festive road trip from Essex, UK, to Rovaniemi, Finland, the Rice family is also aiming to raise £5,000 for mental health charity Mind.
The journey through France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and Sweden en route to Finland will take around seven days, and the family will camp in their Transit along the way.
Gift convoy
Ford employees in Germany are also once again putting Transit to good use spreading Christmas cheer.
For the 21st year, Ford volunteers are supporting the Weihnachtspaeckchenkonvoi (Christmas package convoy), using a Transit van to collect presents for disadvantaged children and deliver them to a central depot for onward distribution.
“This year, 470 packages were loaded into the Transit, and are now on their way to orphanages, hospitals and schools in remote regions of Eastern Europe. ”
Transit charity drives
Ford also teamed up with social action agency Caritas in Cologne, Germany, to use an E-Transit to deliver Christmas trees and presents to residents at a home for previously homeless people.
In South Africa, two Transit Custom vans loaned by Ford are helping the Santa Shoebox project deliver presents to under-resourced children. The project has delivered more than 1.3 million “shoeboxes” across South Africa and Namibia since 2006.
And in the UK in 2022, Ford dealer Hendy Group used an E-Transit – complete with livery designed by competition-winning eight-year-old, Evie Lane – to collect and deliver food to foodbanks in Hampshire and West Sussex.
In the market for music
Christmas markets are a seasonal fixture in towns and cities across Europe, with a festive atmosphere enriched with gifts, food, drinks and music.
In 2023, Polish country band Electric Cowboyz used an E-Transit and its Pro Power Onboard system 1 to deliver a special Christmas market musical performance – with a subtle twist…
Heroes’ holiday
And finally, while many of us look forward to some well-earned time off during the Christmas period, for some frontline Transit drivers it’s business as usual.
The paramedics and emergency medical technicians of the London Ambulance Service (LAS) are a great example.
Earlier this year we spent 24 hours with them on two back-to-back shifts as they responded to emergencies across London – delivering life-saving equipment and expertise using specially converted versions of our electric E-Transit.
It’s comforting to know that they – and countless other Transit customers – will be working hard to help us enjoy Christmas.
That’s truly the spirit of the season.
Anuskha Mathew looks after Ford Pro communications for Ford's newsroom
1 See Owner’s Manual for important operating instructions.
