Europcar

Corporate car sharing: making the car pool work harder

COP26 has highlighted the strength of feeling around the need to reduce emissions. Businesses, if they are to thrive, must play their part in reducing the impact of transport on the environment.

However, many organisations are facing conflicting challenges. They want to ‘do the right thing’ to meet sustainability goals, but they also need to ensure employees have access to flexible mobility solutions.

Add to that another dilemma created by the changing working patterns now being seen as a consequence of COVID-19. The hybrid working model has resulted in company car parks full of pool cars sitting idle, while at the same time new vehicle supply delays mean some employees are waiting months for new company cars.

What’s the answer?

Wheels when you need them

Corporate car sharing solutions – based from the office car park – could be part of the answer, not only delivering on the sustainability agenda but also helping to manage company travel costs more effectively.

Recent research has shown that non-shared vehicles tend to be parked for 90 per cent of the time – that is potentially a lot of cash tied up in idle vehicles which could be put to better use. And on the environmental front, research also showed that each shared vehicle can replace 18.5 vehicles on the road, thereby helping towards meeting lower emissions and reduction in CO2 targets.

With current fleet supply issues likely to continue until well into 2022, corporate car sharing could lead the way in helping companies to optimise the use of their existing on-site pool fleet.

Europcar Mobility Group’s car sharing brand, Ubeeqo, provides a 100% digital experience that can put a pool car fleet to work. Businesses can choose to better manage the utilisation of their own existing fleet by installing the Ubeeqo technology and booking platform, or they can opt for Ubeeqo to supply both the technology and the fleet. This offers more flexibility for fleet and business travel managers, as well as company drivers.

The Ubeeqo digital solution uses an all-devices App enabling fleet managers to book, share and track their business fleet, in a safe and efficient way. Fleet monitoring and reporting can be accessed via the platform, including real-time updates on bookings, vehicle utilisation and CO2 consumption.

Company drivers can also be given the ability to book their own cars when they need them and will be provided with keyless access.

From grey to green

There’s another advantage to putting corporate car sharing to work for organisations that want to reduce their reliance on grey fleet. On average, employees’ own vehicles tend to be older than company cars with the result that they are likely to be more polluting and have fewer safety features. Replacing the dependency on these vehicles with a flexible corporate car share scheme means employees have access to efficient and managed mobility when they need it – and only when they need it – fit for purpose, that’s safer for the driver and cleaner for the environment.

Organising the servicing and regular maintenance for a regular fleet vehicle, not to mention the paperwork involved should there be the need for an insurance claim, can be a full-time job for fleet managers. With corporate car share vehicles that is all taken care of.

A true mobility partner

Ubeeqo offers value right across a business. For the business travel and fleet department, it provides a tool that handles both a company’s current fleet, as well as supplementing that with additional vehicles when needed.

For the HR manager it allows them to offer company drivers flexible travel options that give them duty of care peace of mind.

For the finance team, corporate car sharing with Ubeeqo helps optimise fleet costs, with only the number of vehicles being made available for essential business travel, rather than a vehicle being allocated to each employee, only to sit idle 90 per cent of the time.

And for the marketing department it offers a great opportunity to refresh the company brand with genuine sustainability values.

For more information about how Ubeeqo’s corporate car sharing services can help your business thrive, contact Carl Pittam, Development Director on Carl.pittam@ europcar.com or 0161 250 3878, or see

ubeeqo.com/en-gb/business/fleet

‘Nonshared vehicles tend to be parked for 90 per cent of the time – that is potentially a lot of cash tied up in idle vehicles’

‘Ubeeqo provides a 100% digital experience that can put a pool car fleet to use’