Torbay Council is working with Enterprise Car Club to promote more sustainable travel for its employees.

L-R: Leader of Torbay Council Dave Thomas and deputy leader Chris Lewis with Philip Wright, Keiran Allen and Shane Crawley from Enterprise

It’s providing staff with access to three electric Nissan Leafs, available for staff to use on work journeys instead of their own grey fleet cars. The initial scheme is for council staff, and the longer-term plan is to widen the scope to include a community car club. Staff who register for the scheme will also be able to use other Enterprise electric and low-emission vehicles at a range of sites around the country, further increasing choice for staff who need to travel for work purposes.

The scheme supports the council’s ongoing work to become carbon neutral and tackle climate change both within the organisation and across the wider Torbay area.

It will also help the council cut down on costs, reducing the need for staff to claim expenses – Enterprise estimates that the reduction in corporate travel costs could be as much as 25% in per-mile business travel reimbursement costs if enough people use the pool cars. Staff will also benefit from reduced wear and tear on their own cars.

Dave Thomas, Leader of Torbay Council, said: “Transport is responsible for 30% of Torbay’s emissions and we know our staff are travelling around the Bay frequently, often in personal vehicles that are not low or zero emissions, so this scheme is really important as well as promoting other options such as public transport and more active travel where possible such as walking and cycling.”