Towards the start of October I had a chance encounter with a University of Oxford academic, researching the economics of Transport. Generally people understand that there is a certain cache associated with such a role. And people may have an idea of what life is like for academics that are part of elite institutions. But at the same time those in industry often question how close to the market and how practical the suggestions made by such academics really are. Talking to Dr David Bonilla (Senior Research Fellow in Transport, Energy Economics at St. Anne’s College, Oxford) between speeches at Goodyear’s recent fleet symposium really brought this home (See our complete Fleet Business feature in November’s Tyres & Accessories for more on the subject).