Today, it has been announced that Shropshire Council has joined the Enterprise Car Club. As a pilot programme that the authority has been considering for some time, the Council’s staff members can now access rental cars as an alternative transport option for business trips.
Opting for Fiestas for the team, the cars will be based at Shirehall in Shrewsbury. These will be available seven days a week throughout the year. While having just signed for the cars, the Council already have plans to order more in the coming months. With a mission to cut transport expenditure as well as reduce their carbon footprint, having a fleet of small cars on site is logical.
But, why use Enterprise? Well, by partnering with Enterprise, the Council employees can make use of the company’s digital infrastructure, managing bookings and gauging just how in demand these pool cars are. Available to hire by the hour, can we expect other local Councils to employ such a car hire policy?
James Willocks, transport commissioning manager at Shropshire Council, said:
“Working with Enterprise, we can track who is booking the cars, when, how far the travel and why, which will enable us to capture and analyze the journey data to hopefully help us significantly reduce our current expenditure on mileage reimbursement.
“We also hope that this scheme will offer potential savings for staff. By providing them with alternative travel options, they could reduce their own personal costs by removing the need for business insurance on their vehicle, reducing wear and tear and additionally reducing the depreciation in value of their vehicle.
“Importantly, as employers are liable for the condition of any vehicles used for business, Enterprise Car Club also helps us with our duty of care to our staff. These new cars are modern and regularly maintained, so we can now be certain our employees are in vehicles that are low-emission and fit for purpose.”
Just as thrilled to form this partnership is Enterprise Car Club, also believing that other councils should follow in Shropshire’s footsteps. Dan Gursel, managing director of Enterprise Car Club, said:
“Many local councils have traditionally relied on the grey fleet, but are now realising that this is both costly and can lead to employees driving older, less well-maintained vehicles. It also means they have little control over that travel, as the expense claim is sometimes the only record.”
Let us know what you think; should local Councils be investing in car hire schemes like this? And if so, is Enterprise the best fit? Leave your comments below.
