Ford is marking this week’s 60^th anniversary of the Transit van with celebrations over the summer.

Over six decades, the Transit and the vans it inspired have supported fleets across Europe

The first Transit van rolled off the production line at Ford’s facility in Langley, UK on 9 August 1965 and has remained in continuous production since.

Over these six decades, the Transit and the vans it inspired have remained at the heart of economic growth across Europe.

“During the past 60 years ‘Transit’ has become a byword for getting the job done,” said Hans Schep, general manager, Ford Pro, Europe. “Sometimes highly visible, other times working hard out of sight – for six decades Transit has been powering the businesses and services that keep our world moving.”

To mark the occasion, new research from Ford shows how van-related businesses are the backbone of the economy.

Commissioned by Ford Pro and published by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr), The Economics of Commercial Van Usage Across Europe 2024 report found that van-related businesses contributed around €1 trillion to the economy across the EU and the UK as recently as 2023.

The report estimated the contribution of van-related business was growing, with a 27.4% increase since 2017 and a 6.5% increase since 2021 – a stronger performance than in many other sectors which did not primarily depend on vans.

The report also estimated van-related activity outgrew the EU economy as a whole between 2021 and 2023. And if van-powered businesses were an EU member state, they would have been the sixth largest by GDP, after Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands.

The Cebr report also estimated small businesses could save €14,000 (c.£12,200) per van over three years by switching to electric vans. Ford offers the fully electric E-Transit Courier, E-Transit Custom and E-Transit to help fleets reduce emissions and costs.

Supporting businesses big and small for 60 years

The first-generation Transit van was designed to help businesses from independent landscape gardeners to large multinationals get more done, with greater efficiency and in greater comfort. Its flat load floor meant more space and easier loading, while its forward-mounted engine delivered a more car-like driving experience.

Transit customers were also supported from the outset by Ford’s extensive dealer network. And while the first three months of Transit production concentrated on building short wheelbase vans, these were soon followed by versatile long wheelbase, chassis cab, minibus and kombi variants supporting a wide range of use cases – just as offered by Ford Pro today.

By 1966, large fleet operators relying on Transit included police forces, rail and gas companies and even the military. Ford’s Special Vehicle Operations department could quickly respond to requests for niche Transits to perform unique roles.

Fast-forward to 2025, and the Ford Pro Special Vehicles team uses its in-house engineering expertise to deliver high-performance component upgrades, auxiliary power systems and digital upfit solutions to integrate third-party systems into in-vehicle touchscreens for fleets such as the AA and the London Ambulance Service in the UK.

Every member of the latest generation Transit family is ready to connect with the Ford Pro suite of connected Software, Charging and Service solutions to help owners keep their vans on the road and get the job done efficiently.

Real-time data powers the FordLiive connected uptime system, as well as Ford Pro Telematics software that turns high-quality data direct from Transit vehicles into insights and alerts that can simplify fleet management for businesses.

“There are six decades of know-how built into every Transit and each new generation is built on the feedback and experiences of our customers,” Schep said. “Now, our Ford Pro digital solutions mean our Transit offering can evolve faster than ever to better serve our customers and continue its journey into the future as the thought leader for productivity.”