ON-DEMAND: Zipcar saved Croydon £500,000
Croydon Council are partnering with pay-as-you-drive company Zipcar after a pilot scheme saw the local authority save a whopping £500,000 in just one year.
Council employees will enjoy a car club service under the agreement, which follows a competitive tender.
Zipcar’s initial pilot scheme saw Croydon Council make significant cutbacks in car usage, CO2 emissions and overall travel costs.
The authority cut travel costs by 42% (£1.3million to £756,000), employee car users by 52% (1,284 to 611) and annual CO2 emissions by 36% (324tonnes to 207tonnes).
Employee business mileage also dropped significantly, from 1.1million miles to 642,000 miles (42%).
Sara Bashford, Cabinet Member for Corporate and Voluntary Services at Croydon Council, said: “We’re very proud of the steps we’ve taken to improve our transport scheme, and are committed to saving taxpayers money, while reducing carbon emissions.
“The immediate impact on car usage and costs is clear, and we’ve established processes to ensure our carbon emissions are checked and evaluated on a monthly basis.
“By 2040 our aim is to be London’s most enterprising borough.
“This is one step towards this goal, and it shows how innovative thinking and services can drive us towards being part of a more sustainable London, while enabling us to make substantial financial savings that benefit local residents.”
Zipcar’s service provides customers with instant access to cars and vans, when they need them, without the need to own the vehicle.
Under the London Borough of Croydon scheme, Zipcar provides exclusive use of 23 vehicles to council employees from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday.
Outside of these hours, these vehicles are available to the 1,300 Zipcar members in the Borough of Croydon.
There are various models available under the scheme, including a seven-seat Volkswagen Touran, a Volkswagen Transporter van, and a Vauxhall Ampera electric vehicle.
These 23 vehicles will bolster the existing Zipcar vehicles in the borough, which are currently available to Zipcar members all day, every day.
Andrew Edgar, Head of Zipcar for Business UK, said: “At a time when councils are under enormous pressure to do more for significantly less, here is a clear example of just how that can be achieved, using car clubs versus a traditional fleet solution.
“Croydon Council should be commended for taking a forward thinking, innovative and sustainable approach to its transport offering, and for extending the benefits to employees and local residents alike.
“This is the largest local government car club scheme we have rolled out to date and the results speak for themselves, setting a progressive example that other councils can follow.”
