Fleet World Workshop Tools
Car Tax Calculator
CO2 Calculator
Van Tax Calculator
BiK Rates Company Car Tax

Council to save £100k a year with car sharing

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead is on track to save £100,000 a year on its annual staff travel costs after implementing the AlphaCity car sharing scheme.

AlphaCity scheme run by the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead

Implementing car sharing has helped the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead reduce its grey fleet use

Following advice from the Energy Saving Trust to evaluate new mobility technologies, the local government authority introduced the scheme earlier this year in conjunction with Alphabet in a move to provide its employees with flexible, hassle free transport on demand and to cut the council’s pool car costs.

The council took delivery of 13 AlphaCity cars in January 2016, replacing seven small diesel hatchbacks and two four-year-old electric vehicles. More than 200 staff have already joined the council’s scheme and each vehicle has an average of 16 AlphaCity users. The online booking system, which shows cars’ availability and restricts access to staff who have made reservations, is also managed by Alphabet along with maintenance and valeting of the cars themselves.

Already, the council is on track to achieve an annual saving of £100,000 on its staff travel costs as well as a 90% reduction in the time required for pool car administration. The scheme has also reduced its grey fleet use and is helping the council deliver its air quality improvement plan.

Mark Green, fleet manager at Windsor and Maidenhead, said: “This scheme has offered our employees a practical alternative to a pool car. For us, AlphaCity car sharing is the most cost effective way to help our people travel to meetings and carry out their day-to-day jobs. Alphabet has been with us every step of the way, from our initial conversations about whether AlphaCity is right for us, through to educating our team in how to use the on-board technology.”

Dean Hedger, head of public sector at Alphabet, added: “AlphaCity Car Sharing technology presents an ideal solution for Windsor and Maidenhead both financially and logistically. Vehicles in all of their five locations can be self-booked online, while business trip costs can be automatically allocated to the relevant company department or staff member, reducing the Local Authorities Total Cost of Mobility significantly. We are delighted to have the opportunity to work on this innovative and forward thinking project with Windsor and Maidenhead.”

For more of the latest industry news, click here.

Natalie Middleton

Natalie has worked as a fleet journalist for over 20 years, previously as assistant editor on the former Company Car magazine before joining Fleet World in 2006. Prior to this, she worked on a range of B2B titles, including Insurance Age and Insurance Day.