• Home
• What is it
  • Why it was created
  • What we mean by ways2work
  • What it does
  • Who it's for
  • How to use it
  • The people behind it
  • Who has contributed
• Why do it
  • Reduce costs, improve resource efficiency
  • Reduce absence, improve productivity
  • Reduce carbon emissions, improve your reputation
• How to do it
  • Re-thinking commuting
  • Re-thinking business travel
  • Measuring and monitoring carbon impacts
  • Creating your ways2work plan
  • Creating a healthy workplace
• Who does it
• News
• Resources
• Members

• Re-thinking commuting
• Re-thinking business travel
  • Business travel basics
  • Travelling more sustainably on business
    • Business travel by air
    • Business travel by rail
    • Rethinking cars in business
      • Company car fleets
      • Low emissions vehicles
      • Car clubs
  • Using ICT to reduce business travel
• Measuring and monitoring carbon impacts
• Creating your ways2work plan
• Creating a healthy workplace

Company car fleets

ways2work has produced an advisory note called Company Car Best Practice advisory note in conjunction with the British Vehicle Renting and Leasing Association. This document can be accesses in the Members' area and we recommend it as your starting point when looking to you’re your fleet more efficient. There is a great deal that fleet managers and company car drivers can do. This guide will tell you about:

• Setting company car policy
• Funding company cars
• Company cars and tax
• Health and Safety
• Greening your fleet

Tips for Fleet Managers

• Review fuel efficiency on a regular basis and compare against best practice
• Consider buying low carbon, all electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles. The government will offer up to £5,000 subsidy for an electric or plug in hybrid vehicle from 2011. More information can be found at http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/sustainable/olev/
• Review vehicle choice lists, set emission limits and promote low carbon cars. You could set minimum vehicle standards for staff who use their own car for business or hire car providers
• Encourage alternatives to car travel where appropriate. Could walking, cycling, the bus or rail travel be a suitable alterantive?
• Promote alternatives to travel, such as audio and video conferencing. Travelling is no longer the only way to communicate
• Benchmark drivers fuel efficiency and reward fuel efficient drivingInclude safe and fuel efficient driving (sometimes called ecodriving) in driver training programmes

There is a lot of information you can access on fleets. If your company owns vehicles their details will be held on the company’s asset register. If you lease, then the leasing company will be able to provide detailed reports. Information will also be available from fuel cards, maintinence companies and other suppliers. Your procurement and finance departments are likely to have information too.

Tips for drivers

At the wheel you can make a difference. Drive Smarter and drive safer. The Energy Saving Trust has found that Smarter driver training teaches your employees practical techniques, which could save your organisation £250 per driver on fuel bills (based on 12,000 miles p.a)

There are also things you can do before you sit down and drive away.

• Check your tyre pressure - under-inflated tyres can increase fuel consumption by up to3%
• Check your revs - change up before 2,500rpm (petrol) and 2,000rpm (diesel)
• Anticipate road conditions and drive smoothly, avoiding sharp acceleration and heavy braking
• Use air conditioning sparingly as it significantly increases fuel consumption
• The most fuel-efficient speed is typically around 55 - 65mph
• Drive away immediately when starting from cold - idling to heat the engine wastes fuel
• Accessories such as roof boxes affect a car's aerodynamics and reduce fuel efficiency
• Avoid short journeys - a cold engine uses almost twice as much fuel
• Plan your journeys to use the shortest route which avoids congestion and road works
• If you're stuck in a jam, switch the engine off. This will save fuel and reduce emissions
• Share journeys with friends and colleagues

Let your drivers now about what they can do to improve their fuel and carbon efficiency. Include hints and tips in vehicle documentation, in the car or through company newsletters.

Monitoring the efficiency of driver’s will also make a difference. Let your drivers now how far they are travelling, the cost of driving a mile and their carbon footprint.

Energy Savings Trust: Reducing Fleet Costs

The EST has found that efficient fleet purchase and management, smarter driving and reduced fuel costs can save up to £1000 per car per year and significantly reduce emissions. See EST’s website for further information.

VT Training provides vocational training across the UK through 500 Vocational Coaches (VC). VC’s spend much of their time behind the wheel travelling between offices and customers, clocking up millions of road miles per year. This has a large impact on carbon dioxide emissions and fuel costs. VT Training HR department and supply chain worked in collaboration to introduce a car scheme that would: Reduce carbon dioxide emissions Improve driver safety Improve staff attraction and retention By replacing 78 of VT Training’s company car fleet with fuel efficient Vauxhall Corsa’s the company: Saved 101 tonnes of carbon dioxide in the last year Has reduced fuel costs and “fill up” stops with better fuel efficiency Has improved Staff morale and attraction / retention rates

Creating your ways2work action plan
Ready to implement travel and work planning into your organisation? See how in...