We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the Business Car website. However, if you would like to, you can change your cookies at any time
The start point for the best source of fleet information |
You'd think that travelling between the capital and one of the UK's largest cities - Liverpool - by public transport would be a simple, reasonable value prospect, with dozens of trains, buses, flights and other options linking the two cities.
However, despite this, booking a one-way train ticket a day in advance for the 180-mile journey would set you back a whopping £140-£156 - unless, that is, you leave at 5:30am or after 9am, impractical for many businesses. And even then you'd have to shell out around £37.
Faced with the prospect of getting from London to Liverpool to pick up our new Vauxhall Astra long termer from the factory in Ellesmere Port, jumping in a car - my normal option - wasn't possible. Trains were the obvious choice, with an advance single ticket standing at a more reasonable £22 when booked in advance for a 10:40am train.
This might sound like a reasonable price to pay. However, crazily it is still more expensive that simply getting in a relatively economical car and driving there. A petrol Ford Fiesta 1.0-litre 125 - even if it only achieved 75% of its impressive 65.7mpg claimed economy figure - would cost you just £20.67 in fuel. Likewise, a BMW 320d would get through just £19.60 of diesel.
Throw in the possibility of travelling with a colleague and you could be talking just £10 per person - less than half the price of using the train. Pump prices may be much lower than they have been in recent years, but I still cannot fathom out how public transport can cost so much more than getting in a car.
The picture gets more complicated for fleet managers when you factor in a return journey. Even looking at tickets a few months ahead, you'd have to stump up £59 for a London to Ellesmere Port return ticket - one-and-a-half times the £40 cost of an equivalent car journey. Admittedly, the trip is likely to be more pleasant and productive than sitting in the car - while being quicker provided staff can get to the station reasonably quickly in the first place.
However, it does highlight how directing staff to use trains wherever possible might end up costing a lot more than them simply driving to their destination. Meanwhile, travelling by Megabus or even National Express may not be the first option that comes to mind for fleet managers or staff - with extended journey times and limited comfort - but you'd be looking at £11 or £12 for a one-way journey booked 24 hours in advance - less than a third of the respective train.
Factor in return journey costs of £24 and £32.60 respectively for the bus options, though, and the car remains good value comparatively - meaning that with two employees travelling, using one car could prove the cheapest option, provided you don't expect your staff to hitch hike or take on the 18-hour cycle between the two cities.
And the conclusion to all this? Despite many fleet managers finding overall 'mobility' on their plate - bringing the complication of establishing the best forms of transport to recommend to their staff - having employees simply jump in a company car for long distance journeys can actually be the most cost effective option.
BusinessCar magazine ©2019
Business Car Magazine © 2020 | Business Car is part of NS Media Group.
