Corporate car clubs said to cut down on commuting by car
Streetcar for Business surveyed thousands of its corporate members and found that employees who use the service have cut down on using a car for commuting by almost 50%. In contrast, they’ve increased their use of public transport by 27%, cycling by 11% and walking by 9%, with private mileage and taxi use down by almost 20%. As such, their employees have reported an improvement in their carbon footprint and business costs.
Brett Akker, Streetcar’s co-founder, said: 'Our research has shown that employees will consider greener ways to commute if they have a flexible transport option available at work for external meetings or unexpected business travel. When businesses join the scheme, employees get immediate access to a dense network of fuel-efficient vehicles across ten cities, meaning they can pick up a car at short notice from over 1100 locations or opt for a blend of Streetcar and public transport. The scheme has helped companies reduce the costs associated with private mileage and taxi expenses, as well as providing a welcome boost to their environmental profile.'
Cynthia New works for Surrey County Council which replaced its pool car scheme with Streetcar in 2008. She said: 'I need to make a number of external trips per week for meetings and home visits. Prior to the introduction of Streetcar, I commuted to work via car as I couldn’t always rely on the availability or reliability of the old pool car scheme. I now commute to work most days via public transport as I’m confident I’ll be able to get hold of a more environmentally friendly car from the club’s wide network and I save the Council money as I go.'