Rutland County Council has announced it has reduced mileage claims by approximately a third after using a car sharing programme run by Enterprise Rent-A-Car to replace its existing pool cars and grey fleet.

The Council has around 400 employees and many of those in departments such as social services, highways and education need to travel around the county on a regular basis. It originally ran two pool cars, although most employees drove their own vehicles and claimed mileage reimbursement.

Under the new system, employees book the cars online whilst the maintenance, servicing and cleaning is managed by Enterprise. This reduces demand on the Council’s staff time and administrative resources. In addition, telematics systems in the cars enable Enterprise to monitor and report in detail on car utilisation and travel patterns and costs.

Dave Brown, operational director for places at Rutland County Council comments: “Two of our teams initially piloted the programme for a few months, while we listened carefully to what the employees’ trialing the programme had to say. It was very important to get feedback from those who were using the cars each day.

“Vehicle availability and ease of booking were quickly highlighted as the two main issues that the initiative had to get right – both of which were addressed through the online booking system.”

Council employees are encouraged to use the Enterprise cars as the first transport choice and to use their own car only if a rental vehicle is not available or there are other reasons that make the use of their own vehicle preferable.

Dave Brown continues: “We’re still evaluating the programme but so far it’s been extremely successful, with our grey fleet costs cut by around a third. We have already expanded the original scheme and brought in additional car sharing vehicles.

“The project also helps to get our staff to focus their minds on the site visit or meeting they need to undertake and be efficient with their use of time, rather than worrying about using their own cars.”

Rob Ingram, director of business rental at Enterprise Rent-A-Car, adds: “Since the Council’s car share programme went live it has been in constant use, with several employees using the same car in a single day.

“This form of car sharing has been expressly designed to help organisations move away from the more expensive and inefficient grey fleet approach. It reduces admin costs and hassles, as well as providing detailed management information that allows them to better plan their transport strategy.”