Leasing firms seek third party help to provide digital mobility services

By Matt de Prez

10 January 2022

Leasing companies are turning to epyx and other third-party software suppliers to power new all-round mobility services.

As demand for services like car clubs, eBikes and eScooters grows, some leasing firms lack the in-house capability to develop the required software solutions to operate such services.

Debbie Fox, commercial director at epyx, said: “It is no secret that major leasing companies believe that their future lies in becoming mobility providers for whom the fleet is just one part of a business transport portfolio that encompasses everything from e-bikes to car clubs to trains.

“However, creating the technology required to integrate these offerings in such a way that they are easily accessible by the end user is a considerable task and, at the end of the day, most lessors are vehicle asset experts rather than having any IT specialisation.”

Numerous conversations are going on between leasing companies and industry technology providers to work out how to bridge that gap, according to Fox.

“Certainly, epyx is part of those dialogues but, we are aware, so are several other major businesses. It’s quite an exciting moment and one that could see companies like ourselves, which have traditionally created the technological infrastructure around fleet operations, expand our capabilities to provide extremely advanced mobility solutions.”

Epyx is confident that it could provide the kind of technology required for mobility solutions, because its core expertise lies in process management.

Fox added: “We’ve always been very open about the fact that, as a company, we are not fleet experts in the traditional sense. Our specialism instead lies in creating processes that meet the needs of fleet operators, their drivers, and their suppliers.

“Extending this thinking to mobility solutions such as car club and e-bike provision is no great leap. It is very much a logical extension of the services that we already provide to fleets in areas such as maintenance, car hire and remarketing.

“Conversations with leasing companies are ongoing and we are hopeful that 2022 will see these initial dialogues lead to the first wave of new deals in this area.”