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Enterprise Car Club reduces County Council’s CO2

Enterprise Car Club has helped Gloucestershire County Council significantly reduce its CO2 emissions, by adopting a car club programme.

(L-R): Ben Smith, Business Development Manager at Enterprise; Will Spendlove of Gloucestershire County Council; and Kay Parbat, Strategic Transportation Consultant at Enterprise

(L-R): Ben Smith, Business Development Manager at Enterprise; Will Spendlove of Gloucestershire County Council; and Kay Parbat, Strategic Transportation Consultant at Enterprise

Over the past six months, the council estimated its vehicle emissions has been reduced by around two tonnes of CO2 per month compared to having employees use their privately-owned cars for work journeys.

Eight dedicated Enterprise Car Club vehicles are now based at the council’s Shire Hall headquarters in Gloucester and more than 450 of the council’s 2,000 employees have signed up to the programme. Despite the Co2 reduction, the car’s are not only electric vehicles but include three Toyota Prius hybrids and three Hyundai i20s, as well as two Nissan Leafs.

Enterprise and the council analysed employee journey patterns and usage to establish if car club rental could be part of a better solution than the so called ‘grey fleet’, where drivers use their personal cars for work journeys and claim for the miles driven.

The data indicated that a dedicated car club would help lower vehicle emissions and reduce the council’s risk by ensuring employees always drive modern, well-maintained vehicles for business trips. A knock-on benefit was reducing pressure on parking within the city by lessening the need for employees to commute to Shire Hall by car.

The vehicles are booked and accessed via a mobile app and charged at a pence-per-mile rate lower than that of grey fleet reimbursement, which encourages both managers and drivers to be more thoughtful in how they manage their business travel.

Will Spendlove, commissioning officer at Gloucestershire County Council, said: “Enterprise was able to analyse the data of how and why our employees travel and use it to design a more efficient, tailored programme to help us move away from the grey fleet. The data analysis demonstrated a car club was a key part of that equation.

“Partnering with Enterprise has helped us to change employee behaviour so they reduce business mileage and travel more efficiently and sustainably.”

Dan Gursel, managing director of Enterprise Car Club, said: “By developing policies and processes to make business travel more manageable and environmentally-friendly, Gloucestershire County Council has been able to improve sustainability and local air quality. It provides employees with a viable alternative to using their own vehicles for work.”

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Jonathan Musk

Jonathan turned to motoring journalism in 2013 having founded, edited and produced Autovolt - one of the UK's leading electric car publications. He has also written and produced books on both Ferrari and Hispano-Suiza, while working as an international graphic designer for the past 15 years. As the automotive industry moves towards electrification, Jonathan brings a near-unrivalled knowledge of EVs and hybrids to Fleet World Group.