The emergence of flexible and sustainable vehicle alternatives is causing a shift away from “grey fleets” and could help businesses to negotiate this ever-changing landscape. The consequences of rising costs and shortages in materials are affecting many businesses, but despite this turbulent background fleet managers and SMEs are still tasked with keeping their company drivers on the road in suitable and safe vehicles.
So how do companies ensure they meet these needs and have access to a fit for purpose fleet? Paul McNeice, head of country for Europcar and GoCar says that ensuring fleet utilisation is optimised, including the ability to “up fleet” or “down fleet” quickly is key to staying agile and potentially profitable. “No company wants to be short of vehicles when their business is growing; nor do they want vehicles sitting idle,” says McNeice.
With the range of mobility options on offer, it is no longer necessary to have an expensive and inflexible pool of cars or vans sitting in the company car park. The idea of usership rather than outright ownership or a long-term lease agreement makes more sense, both for company finances and cleaner, greener transport goals. Sustainable transport that helps to reduce carbon footprint is now a must-have for most businesses, and one route to cutting overall emissions is to only have vehicles when they are needed.
“What we’re seeing is more and more businesses turning to rental,” says McNeice. “Be that for just a few hours or for a few months. Europcar’s offering means that businesses are not tied into long-term purchase or lease commitments, keeping cash where it is needed most.” It also mitigates supply issues, he adds. “With our flexible rental solutions, businesses can access vehicles as and when they are needed and hand them back when they are no longer required. Europcar essentially offers all the flexibility of a short-term rental with none of the restrictions of a lengthy contract. Plus cleaner, greener cars and vans help businesses get net-zero ready.”
Rental offers access to the latest electric, hybrid and petrol cars, with the opportunity to try before you buy. And there’s one further important advantage which is all about driver health and safety. Fleet and business travel managers can be confident that their company drivers are in safe, reliable vehicles, with servicing and regular maintenance taken care of too.
Studies show that many businesses have vehicles in their car parks but they’re not in the right place for the staff who need them and this is changing how company and pool cars are being used. While medium and long-term vehicle rental may be widely used by fleet managers as part of their strategy to optimise fleet utilisation, corporate car-sharing from the office car park may be a less familiar option. Yet, it could be a great option to help companies improve car access for their drivers for short periods of time.
Innovative Europcar technology (currently used at scale via its car sharing brand GoCar) can be installed into company pool cars with the option to either just install the technology and booking platform or to access a fleet too. Using an app, drivers can book their own rental while allowing fleet and travel managers to monitor the use of their fleet. The platform provides real-time updates on bookings, vehicle use and even CO2 consumption.
“Staying agile will remain the watchword as we move into 2024,” says McNeice. “Vehicle usership rather than ownership – whatever the duration – will continue to support businesses to make the most of their opportunities without having to commit to potentially burdensome capital expenditure in uncertain economic times.”
Europcar, which offers vehicle rental services in Ireland from just one hour up to 24 months, has the ambition to become a leader in sustainable mobility services in the coming years, driven by data, technology and people.
To find out how Europcar and GoCar’s flexible mobility solutions could support your business, visit europcar.ie, email businessfleetservices@europcar.ie or call 01 812 2830