ONE OF THE CLUBS IN THE BAG –

CAR CLUBS FOR BUSINESS TRAVEL

Harry Thomson

Head of Integrated Transport & Commissioning

Dumfries & Galloway Council

THE STRAINING OF THE METAPHOR

• The Game of Golf consists of playing a ball with a club from the teeing ground into the hole by a stroke or successive strokes in accordance with the Rules (www.randa.org)

• The objective of our Fleet Management team is to enable staff to undertake their duties from 1 April – 31 March, using permitted modes of transport

• Golf aims to minimise strokes• We aim to minimise mileage, cost and CO2

emissions

The “Course”

• 75 miles from Stranraer – Dumfries

• 107 miles from Stranraer – Langholm

• 32 miles Dumfries – Kirkconnel• Little motorway or dual

carriageway• 2nd least densely populated

mainland authority in Scotland

Rurality

Why Review?

• Political pressure to reduce mileage• Staff pressure to review rates• Significant individual mileage claims (up to

20,000 miles per annum in some cases!)• 6,000,000+ miles per annum• Single Status

The Pool

• Corporate Management Team commitment• 100 cars across 23 locations• Based on “small” vehicles• 75 small, 15 medium, 5 multi-purpose vehicles & 5

automatics • CO2 emissions caps 120, 130, 140 and 156 g/km • All came in at < 120g/km• “Grey fleet” vehicles = 150 g/km • Reduction of 75 tonnes emissions with same

mileage

• Utilisation 60-70%• Cost averaging 35p per mile

• Some dedication to depts• Dedication to users• Improvements to booking• Driver checks (coming)• Management and education required (cancellations, non-

uptake)

Performance

Corporate Fleet

Car Hire

• Limited supply locally (eg in Stranraer, car hire relocated with the ferries)

• Delivery charges outside main locations• Cost for short-term hires• Additional insurance costs• Mark-ups on damage• Restricted times for pick-up / return• Averaging 10 per month

Car Club

• Part of the GoSmart Dumfries programme under the Smarter Choices Smarter Places pilots

• Sustainable transport objectives• Last programme element to be introduced, in late 2012• Co-Wheels CIC selected through competitive tender• Council provided initial vehicles• Council block-books 4 vehicle 9-5 and 5/7• Provides base revenue (and educated users) for the Car

Club• Provides flexibility and additional resource for the Council

Car Club

• Cost – discounting base cost, cost of use is reasonable, but total cost in comparison with pool is much greater

• Environmental impact broadly comparable• Volume of usage is fairly steady – need to market the

service more to staff, only core group using 31% of total usage in 2013, declining to 19% in 2014.

• But matched by increase in individual (25%) and corporate (9 new) memberships in 2014, and 48% overall increase in mileage

• Staff who use the vehicles like them – keyless access, no need to return keys, booking from home, collect drop-off any time

Car Club

• CoWheels recognise Dumfries as being one of their fastest-growing Car Club in terms of utilisation.

• Good growth in non-Council usage

• New electric and conventional vehicles being introduced by CoWheels

Car Club

Golf is famous for its bandits!

The Score-Card

• Pool cars have helped reduce costs and demand• Reduced CO2 emissions by c. 30%, or 75T per year

• Car Club supplements this• Swift response• Geographically limited• Future opportunities to meet objectives of both Council

Pool and Car Club

Sustainable Travel?

THANK YOU FOR LISTENING