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Sam Sterry's blog: Car sharing puts the wheels in motion for greater flexibility and cost saving for SMEs
Date: 20 September 2019
SMEs have faced a major shift in recent years - whether it's the introduction of flexible working, reducing outgoings by moving to a co-working space or the implementation of car sharing over ownership, these all factor in greater cost savings for businesses and flexibility for employees. Recent research from Europcar Mobility Group UK reveals, unsurprisingly, mobility remains fundamental for many UK businesses, with 25% of firms saying they need some form of transport for a significant majority (75%) of their workforce to get their job done.
Car rental and carpooling enable companies to reduce the size of their own fleet, tackle the challenge of grey fleet usage and eliminate costs associated with high mileage claims without compromising on the flexibility of staff transport options. Plus with access to reports and mileage monitoring, firms can stay in control of their costs.
There is the environmental credit too - businesses that are focusing on cutting emissions and meeting the needs of their environmental policies should consider car sharing. It will help address the issues with congestion and parking by reducing the physical number of vehicles on today's roads. Furthermore, companies can look at electric vehicles as well as modern hybrid fuel options that are becoming more widely available through car sharing schemes.
Simply put, it makes no sense to have a fleet sitting in a car park 'just in case' an employee needs a vehicle. But, equally, business users can't be left without transport when they need it. So it all comes down to having the right MI to give us and our customers the insight to allocate the right transport solution for the user's need. And that should include insight into the drivers: how easy it is made for them to share the cars, how 'eco-friendly' they drive, etc.
Europcar Mobility Group UK offers dedicated car-sharing vehicles in an organisation's car park, ready for use by employees for business or private travel through our innovative, mobility brand, Ubeeqo. And the electric car share service, E-Car, provides access to electric vehicles for use by the hour from a number of locations across the UK allowing businesses to opt for cleaner transport choices without the expense of upgrading their own fleet. Employees can make use of the car-sharing vehicles during the working week can also be offered for leisure trips during the weekend.
Mobility services should be easy and convenient to access so that businesses can have a choice of transport solutions. We provide our corporate customers with a single platform - Europcar One - this provides customers with insight into how mobility services are being used within their organisation. This helps the business to improve efficiencies and reduce costs. At the heart of the design of the portal was the requirement to give fleet managers a 360-degree view of every journey - from initial booking through to vehicle return and any end of use charges, such as for additional fuel or damage.
The world of sharing is definitely the future - and businesses tapping into the trend as a solution for employee mobility are set to reap serious rewards.
