The £15 single-fee service from the AA and Postcode Anywhere is said to cut journey distances by over 20%, with similar savings in time, fuel, carbon emissions and vehicle wear and tear.

The product, which makes use of browser-based software to complement Postcode Anywhere's standard route optimisation services, is being used by a wide variety of customers including estate agencies and delivery companies.

Postcode Anywhere MD Guy Mucklow explained: 'This new feature is particularly useful for infrequent users and those who simply want to run a check to find out if their regular delivery route is as good as it can be. The impact of this service shouldn't be underestimated.

'Imagine a scenario where a man-with-a-van is making the same inefficient route, day after day. It could be a leafleteer, or maybe a milkman or sandwich vendor. Think of all the time wasted, not to mention the unnecessary fuel costs and carbon emissions building up over the course of years if the route isn't optimised.

'Now he can make that regular route typically 20% shorter for a single £15 flat fee.'

The company says that the RouteOptimiser service offers benefits including:

• One-off £15 optimisations possible with no annual vehicle licence necessary

• Delivery prioritisation and timeslots now available for basic licence holders

• Vehicle capacities and delivery sizes to eliminate vehicle overloading

The £15 one-off charge applies for a single vehicle visiting up to 100 waypoints along a route. Route Optimisation performed on a more regular basis is available from 1p per waypoint. To find out more, visit the RouteOptimiser website at www.routeoptimiser.com.