The Office of Government Commerce recently launched its own campaign to persuade councils to allow employees to use their own cars on council business only as a last resort, saying the drivers should look at all alternative forms of transport, or even consider not making the journey, before using the car.

The OGC estimated that grey fleet miles made up 57% of total public sector road mileage, and by reducing that total by one million miles could unlock an estimated £250,000 in cash savings and reduce carbon output by more than 240 tonnes.

New research from Mycompanyfleet, the automotive arm of HR software giant NorthgateArinso, now reveals that councils, in some cases, are paying around 70p per mile to drivers who use their own cars on council business, well in excess of the Approved Mileage Allowance Payments of 40p for the first 10,000 miles and 25ppm thereafter.

To help tackle this issue, Mycompanyfleet has added an alternative travel module to its grey fleet solution, Driver Self-Serve, which provides employees with details of different forms of transport for their planned journey, including taking the train, flying or using the bus, and allows comparisons between them and the cost of using a car.

Mycompanyfleet's business manager, Andrew Leech, commented: 'The OGC recommendations were quite clear; councils should only consider using private cars on company business as a last resort. Any grey fleet vehicles should be effectively managed and their condition and mileages regularly checked.

'We have calculated that simply by reducing grey fleet mileage by two miles per vehicle per month any investment made by a council, or any other business, in our alternative travel module would be self-funding.

'Our new module allows employees to compare the price of all transport alternatives and make the sensible decision for their employer and the environment. In addition to links to standard transport sites, such as the trainline, the system also has the ability to build up links to your own local passenger networks,' he added.

Mycompanyfleet, launched its Driver Self-Serve solution at the end of last year to address the duty of care issues around the grey fleet. And to go get its grey fleet message across, Mycompanyfleet is currently taking to the road in a series of roadshows across the country that are free to fleet decision makers. Every roadshow attendee will also receive a special copy of a definitive Health and Safety policy document for grey fleet drivers.

The roadshow dates are:

Richmond, Surrey                        18 March

Peterborough, Cambs                   22 March

Luton, Beds                                 23 March

Glasgow                                      24 March

Bristol, Avon                                30 March

Chester                                       31 March

Andrew Leech concluded: 'Grey fleet drivers still present companies with numerous problems, including major duty of care issues. These new roadshows will provide company managers with the solutions they need to effectively tackle the issues surrounding their grey fleet drivers, including alternative travel methods.'