ALD Automotive is committed to help-ing all employees choose the best mobility option to suit their needs on a journey-by-journey basis.

Its focus on promoting alternatives to the car has increased productivity and improved employee well-being, while helping it better manage costs.

Its policies also aren’t just aimed at company car drivers; grey fleet drivers – employees who drive their own car for work purposes – and those who simply commute, benefit from its focus on mobility.

Ad hoc drivers are given use of a pool car, a demo car or a car hired by ALD, if it is deemed the most suitable option for their journey.

Employees are also encouraged to join the company’s ‘cycle to work’ scheme, which is offered as a healthier alternative to driving.

However, in order to encourage more employees to use public transport, the leasing company, which has 124 company cars on its fleet, also conducted a public transport trial with its staff.

They were surveyed both before and after making their journey to better understand the impact of making the switch from car to bus or train.

ALD also offered incentives to use public transport by introducing a policy where an employee’s travel time counted as working time.

It meant that the working day started on the train and not when they arrived at the office or at a meeting.

The trial was a success. It illustrated that employees were able to plan journeys better, particularly around predicting arrival times, which they found much easier than by car.

Having avoided congestion normally experienced in making their journey by car, they felt they were much more productive and arrived feeling fresh. They also reported feeling much less stressed than they typically would if travelling by car. 

ALD has ecognised the need to move away from the traditional fleet model towards a bespoke, optimised mobility solution.

Finalists: Gateshead Council

Award sponsored by Goodyear 

Sponsor's comment:

"Congratulations to ALD Automotive for winning the award with their innovative initiative.

At the recent Geneva Motorshow, Goodyear was bold enough to present its vision of the future; a tyre for a flying vehicle!

The Goodyear AERO concept is a two-in-one tyre designed for the autonomous, flying cars of the future.

With mobility companies looking to the sky for the answer to the challenges of urban transport and congestion, our work on advanced tyre technology led us to imagine a multimodal wheel that could serve as a traditional tyre for the road and a “propeller” for flying through the sky. The AERO would give future commuters the freedom to move seamlessly from the road to the sky.

We may be a long way off flying our everyday commute but conceptual thinking like this enables us to stretch the imagination and spark a debate. Sponsoring this award has enabled us to celebrate the innovations of others in this field."