Decreasing vehicle access is putting pressure on the grey fleet, says Enterprise Mobility’s director of business mobility, UK & Ireland, Paul McCorkell.

Paul McCorkell, director of business rental UK & Ireland at Enterprise

A recent Enterprise survey of 1,000 UK office employees who drive for work showed that more than one in five (22%) have decreased the number of vehicles they have access to. Meanwhile, more than two in five (44%) have sold at least one. These figures might be, in part, because a third also said they drive less for work now than they did a year ago.

These results suggest that the grey fleet of mileage reimbursement may be running out of road, as many individuals may no longer have a personal car to use for business travel.

The emerging situation is compounded by the fact that younger people, in particular, are holding off learning to drive. The DfT reported last year that just under three in four people aged 17 to 20 do not have a full driving licence. That figure is down from almost half of young adults in 1989.

The cost of lessons was cited as a key factor, which means younger employees cannot be relied upon to have access to a car – or even the ability to drive one – unless their employer gives them that access.

Enterprise’s research also highlighted that younger workers were more open to alternative mobility options: almost nine out of ten (88%) of Gen Z employees had made a multi-modal journey in the last 12 months, compared with only 57% of those born before 1964.

To many employees and businesses, using a private vehicle for work is often considered a convenient option for day-to-day business travel. Given that, how do businesses address mobility if fewer employees have access to a car, or indeed, know how to drive?

Personal cars tend to be older (more than eight years old on average, according to the BVRLA), have less modern safety equipment and produce higher CO2 emissions. Privately owned cars also tend to be used for unmanaged travel that has not been officially authorised. So, the emerging situation is an opportunity to move away from the grey fleet and towards alternatives that may bring other benefits such as reduced cost, mileage and emissions.

There are plenty of examples of innovation and best practice. Many local councils, NHS Trusts and government departments – facing strict oversight on costs and decarbonisation goals – have replaced pool cars with better-managed dedicated on-site car club vehicles.

If employees know they have access to a car at work, they can choose to commute in a different way. This process can reduce pressure on both rush-hour traffic and parking spaces. An on-site car club can even encourage people to commute more healthily by walking or cycling.

We’ve also seen that they can even encourage positive behaviour change among employees. As people start to reschedule their meetings around vehicle availability, employees adopt a ‘community’ mindset and become more considerate of their fellow colleagues’ travel requirements, making more efficient business travel decisions.

The important thing is that people who don’t have their own car – as well as those who do – can access vehicles that are managed and utilised far more effectively.

The changing face of vehicle access is going to require a lot of organisations to change their fleet and travel policies.

Dedicated car clubs are only one potential part of the puzzle. Many of those employees who don’t travel enough to warrant a company car still need to visit customers or work sites. It’s going to be increasingly important to analyse how, when, where and why those people travel and create strategies that fit.

This is why many businesses are looking for strategic travel consultancy, to help them with factors such as understanding employee psychology around travel for work. Then they can help people embrace new methods of business travel and try something new.

The first step for most fleets is to take a long, hard look at their grey fleet travel. It might still seem like the simplest option right now but, in years to come, it’s going to be anything but.