Enterprise Travel Direct achieves a 96% reduction in grey fleet use

The Enterprise Travel Direct (ETD) platform has reduced grey fleet usage for UK business trips by 96% decrease in the 12 months to June 2022, compared to pre-pandemic levels.

At the same time, Enterprise Car Club bookings via ETD have risen by 133%. Overall, the number of business trips booked on ETD are up 90% on pre-pandemic levels.

Enterprise said this behavioural shift demonstrates how technologies such as ETD can make a significant impact on grey fleet by guiding employees to local and lower-emission options, such as an on-street car club, when they are planning a business trip.

The business is also seeing a surge in enquiries for grey fleet solutions and mobility expertise, including ETD, from companies wanting to reduce the risk and cost associated with grey fleet, ensure compliance and capture invaluable data on employee business travel habits.

Companies that provide their employees access to a car club vehicle also report that fewer employees commute to work by car. Workers can either use vehicles dedicated for their use at the company premises or be enrolled to Enterprise’s on-street network of more than 1,500 car club vehicles in 220+ towns, cities and communities across the UK.

Reducing the level of commuting by car both leads to an increase in the use of public transport and active travel as well as lower costs and emissions, less congestion and more parking.

“Business motoring is not just back, it’s increasing fast. Reducing grey fleet is now essential to reducing business cost and risk,” says Enterprise’s director of business mobility UK & Ireland, Paul McCorkell.

“One way businesses can reduce emissions is to re-think the employee business travel strategy,” McCorkell continues. “Fleet and travel managers are also telling us their employees would prefer not to use their own vehicles for work because of depreciation and increasing motoring and maintenance costs.”

ETD is a booking and compliance management platform that allows employees to compare mobility options and find the most cost-effective and accessible mode of transport that complies with their company’s travel policy.

The system captures data on that employee’s choice. For many companies, it is the first time that they see the impact of grey fleet trips on employee business travel.

Enterprise then offers personalised consultation to help businesses understand their current and future fleet strategy and to design a solution that will help meet company objectives such as reducing cost, risk and emissions.

By understanding travel and business objectives, Enterprise can use insight from the ETD platform, combined with in-depth business mobility insight, to help organisations achieve an efficient travel strategy that drives positive employee behaviour change.

Businesses report a key benefit of ETD is that it gives them control over costs and emissions by encouraging business travellers to switch to newer, lower-emission vehicles and out of often older, more polluting, privately-owned cars.

Enterprise’s account management teams help customers get the right strategy in place to reduce business and employee business travel costs, bringing mobility expertise to identify the best solution.

“The perfect storm of the rising cost of running a private car and businesses wanting to reduce their cost and carbon footprint means companies are looking for ways to provide staff with shared mobility options,” McCorkell concluded.

“Employees are concerned that mileage rates no longer cover the cost of running their own car for work purposes as the price of fuel, parts and maintenance continue to rise. We believe encouraging them into non-grey fleet options is a win-win.”