Housing association WDH has launched an employee car club in partnership with Enterprise Car Club to reduce grey fleet usage.

Two Ford Fiesta 1.0 Ecoboost models will be based at WDH’s head office in Castleford, and aim to provide employees with a low-cost and low-emission alternative to using their own cars for business trips.

WDH employees can book the cars online or through the Enterprise Car Club mobile app on an hourly or daily basis.

It is hoped that the car club will reduce WDH’s reliance on employees using their own vehicles for business, reduce mileage claims and ensure regular maintenance.

For the initial phase of the trial, Enterprise worked with WDH to identify around 50 employees who would get the most out of car club. 

These included the teams working with tenants and surveyors travelling to sites. All drivers have undertaken a driving assessment before being confirmed on the car club programme.

To ensure employees understand how to book and access vehicles, Enterprise has run two workshops at WDH’s head office.

WDH’s sustainability manager Simon Gutteridge said: “We’ve been keen to move away from mileage reimbursement as it’s expensive, increases our carbon footprint and makes it hard to manage our duty of care for driver safety.

“A dedicated car club offers us an ideal alternative that addresses our concerns. Our employees can book and access the cars easily and Enterprise will manage the vehicle maintenance and availability and provide us with regular reporting.

“Enterprise understands exactly what we’re trying to achieve and has created an ideal programme to fit those requirements.”

Enterprise Car Club’s managing director Dan Gursel said: “WDH is already focused on running a safer and more effective fleet, with all its people who drive a company vehicle required to go through a detailed driver assessment.

“A car club offers the next level of mobility for organisations trying to reduce their reliance on mileage reimbursement.

“Dedicated, on-site vehicles can be hired by the hour or by the day and provide a safe and cost-effective option, as well as flexibility to add other types of vehicle and upscale as requirements change.”

PIctured: (L) Liam Farrar, transport manager at WDH; Simon Gutteridge, sustainability manager at WDH; Steve Wood, regional sales manager at Enterprise.

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