Car Sharing; Encourage your workforce to share their commute

In recent years a number of large UK businesses, including Tesco and Land Rover, have begun encouraging their staff to consider car sharing as a preferred transport option. Car sharing can either be a formal and organised scheme run by organisations or employers, or an informal, ad hoc arrangement between friends and colleagues. So why are so many companies choosing to encourage their workforces to share their commute?

 

Reduce the need for parking

Whether your business has a car park or relies on parking around your site, fewer cars on site can have a huge impact on your business and the local community. When you factor in costs of resurfacing, lighting and securing a car park. The average cost per parking space per year can range between £300 and £500.

Creating a car sharing scheme within your company can reduce the need to maintain a large carpark and also enables you to futureproof business expansion without the need to expand your parking facilities.

A reduction in the number of cars using your site and the surrounding neighbourhoods can also significantly reduce local congestion.

 

Recruitment and Retention

Recruiting and retaining a team of young and talented staff is important to maintain a business edge. A study by The Economist in 2016 discovered that only 67% of the general population aged between 16-34 held driving licences, whilst in the generations above the score was 82%.

Catering to the millennial generation means that companies need to consider how their workforce commute. Introducing a formal or informal car sharing scheme can also overcome transport barriers for businesses that operate in out of town developments or who require a large amount of business travel.

 

Focus on sustainability

A car sharing scheme can show that a business is responsibly considering their impact on the environment. Reducing your carbon footprint alongside working towards preventing pollution and emissions can be attractive to clients and potential employees.

Incorporating shared travel into your staff transport planning can also begin to embed green thinking into your workforce and can help you roll out other green initiatives.

 

Improve employee wellbeing

The average car sharer saves around £1000 a year through sharing their journey to work.

Additionally, participating in an employer organised car share scheme can enable staff to interact with colleagues from other areas of the business. Sharing a commute is a simple way for employees to connect with each other and can work to build team spirit across your business.

 

Interested? What do you do next?

If your company already has a company car fleet, you could speak to your leasing agent about the option of an accessible carpool, allowing users to access company cars as and when they need them. Aside from potentially cutting fleet costs, this would also go a part of the way to accrediting your company for the ISO14001 environmental management standard.

The Milton Keynes Car Permit Scheme is suitable for employees who car share in Central Milton Keynes. For £130 per person per year, participants can park in all standard rate spaces and over 350 reserved car share bays in prime locations.

For more informal arrangements you can encourage your staff to sign up to Liftshare, which connects drivers and passengers who are heading to the same destination. The site is free and users can monitor their own journeys.

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