University of Warwick includes Enterprise Car Club in emissions-reducing Future Transport Showcase trial

Enterprise Car Club vehicles are being used as part of a trial reduce transport emissions in the West Midlands by the University of Warwick.

The Future Transport Showcase is a two-year project between Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) and the University.

Throughout the two-year trial, participants will be encouraged to change their transport choices and incentives offered for people who choose greener travel as part of the “choose your way Warwick” campaign hosted on the Betterpoints App.

Enterprise Car Club will support the project with two low emission Hyundai Ioniq cars, for use by staff, students and the local community. The vehicles can be booked for anything from half an hour to a full day. As well as the two car club vehicles, members can also use any of the car club’s 1,400 vehicles around the UK and access the wide range of vehicles from Enterprise’s daily rental fleet.

Gary Palmer, general manager of Enterprise for the West Midlands, said: “We are delighted to be involved in this exciting project. The Future Transport Zone will enable people to assess their mobility needs and match these to the best solution, whether that is active travel, public transport or a shared asset such as our car club vehicles.

“Being close to where people need to use vehicles means our car club can operate very efficiently, bringing lower emission mobility to the heart of the community and helping reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality.”

The trial will also look at how the use of new transport solutions like e-scooters and a demand responsive bus service can affect travel behaviour and replace traditional car use in and around the University campus area.

Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street said: “The Future Transport Showcase at the University of Warwick will offer students and staff more flexibility, choice, and greener travel solutions for the region, at a time when we are facing a climate emergency and urging people to leave the car at home.

“And this trial will show what works as we develop transport policies to address the climate emergency we all face.”

The West Midlands is home to the £22 million Future Transport Zone, set up to harness the latest technology and data to design and develop accessible and connected transport alternatives that are faster, cleaner and greener – contributing to achieving the #WM2041 ambition to reduce the region’s carbon footprint.

 Parvez Islam, director of transport and mobility for the University of Warwick, added: “We’re proud to, again, be pointing the way with the Future Transport Zone trial on our campus. Our scheme with Transport for West Midlands is an important signal that we are committed to exploring new and better ways of living, studying and working on our campus, by designing solutions with our campus community.

“This scheme gives our staff, students and communities an opportunity to experience the future of sustainable transport and mobility and to play a part in building a shared understanding of how new concepts, modes, technologies and approaches can help shape behaviours and make a better world.”