Ford Pro Helps Track Stolen Transit and Pop-Up Bar
Ford News
DUNTON, UK, Jan. 28, 2025 – Mobile bartender Lewis Spindlove and his trusty Ford Transit are a familiar sight at weddings and festivals across the UK – his customised pop-up bars bring a full range of drinks and cocktails to events beyond the reach of traditional venues.
So, it came as a blow when Lewis’s van – packed with a specially fabricated gold pop-up bar worth £15,000 – was stolen from his home near Bristol, UK. His first thought was for the bride and groom who had booked him for that day. He also feared permanently losing the van and thousands of pounds worth of equipment and stock.
Fortunately, quick thinking and technology saved the day. Lewis rapidly sourced and stocked a borrowed bar – complete with gold finish – to make sure the wedding guests didn’t go thirsty; and after reporting his stolen van to the police, Ford Pro set Lewis up with Ford Pro Telematics 1 which showed the van’s location. It was in Nottingham, hundreds of kilometres away from where the van and contents were recovered by police and returned. Locks repaired, it was back in service within a fortnight of being stolen.
“The bride and groom had ordered a bespoke bar complete with gold mirrors and bar tops. It absolutely looked the business, but when I came to drive to the venue the van was gone,” said Lewis, who operates his business, The Bartender, with three full time employees and an extensive team of freelance staff. “I was so relieved that my Transit has a built-in tracker that played a key role in me getting my van back.”
Lewis's experience highlights the significant issue of vehicle theft impacting van-based businesses, which contributed approximately a trillion euros to the EU and UK economies in 2023.2 For Ford Pro, addressing the issue is a top priority, and the company offers armoured steering locks, as well as a range of digital monitoring and protection systems powered by the standard built-in vehicle modem. These include alerts if the doors are tampered with, the van is used out of set hours, or if it changes location without being started – which occurs when a van is stolen and towed away. Ford Pro Telematics’ vehicle security can also remotely lock and unlock the doors.
The Bartender team has now enhanced its security with physical solutions, supplementing the digital tracking and ability to be alerted if the van is active between set times.
“We want Lewis, and all our van customers, to have complete confidence in their vehicles' security,” said Hans Schep, general manager, Ford Pro, Europe. “But, if the worst happens, we’re happy to be here to support the hardworking people who drive our communities and economies.”
1 Ford Pro Telematics is available complimentary for one year from the warranty start date, and then on a subscription basis, subject to agreement to Ford Smart Mobility terms and conditions, and provides a comprehensive suite of features in addition to vehicle health including location and mapping, driving behaviour, fuel/energy usage, multi-make capabilities and a companion app for drivers to interface with fleet managers. Fleet customers can contact the Ford Pro Software Command Centre at [email protected] for information about these Ford Telematics products. Data availability subject to data connectivity and access to vehicle data.
2 May 2024 report by the Centre for Economics and Business Research estimating the economic activity in van-dependent industries across five national markets, plus the EU. Commissioned by H+K Strategies and Ford Motor Company.