Corporate Car Share Program

WHAT

  • Car Sharing Reduces Capital Investment.

    A corporate car share program invovles inter-governmental and/or sharing assets with the local community. It often invovles cooperation with an established car sharing organization (CSO) and helps local governments minimize the number of vehicles in their fleet while still ensuring that all task requirements are met. They can be used as part of vehicle and fleet right-sizing and help reduce vehicle trips and also help local government's interact with the community.

    In such a program, the local government will share vehicles with the community during times when the vehicles would otherwise not be used. It can help reduce the number of vehicles needed in the community, having positive effects on congestion and public transit use and potentially reducing economic burden on families of purchasing and maintaining a large asset. Since 2007, the District of North Vancouver (DNV) has been invovled with the Co-operative Auto Network and by the end of 2008 the City of Vancouver should have a similar program. The partnership is and will continue to help both free up capital.The City of Philadelphia is involved in an innovative partnership with PhillyCarShare. The City has reduced its fleet by 329 vehicles while maintaining service levels and reducing fuel, insurance, parking, and maintenance costs. / PhillyCarShareThe City of Philadelphia is involved in an innovative partnership with PhillyCarShare. The City has reduced its fleet by 329 vehicles while maintaining service levels and reducing fuel, insurance, parking, and maintenance costs. / PhillyCarShare

    Developing a program involves analyzing your overall fleet needs and identifying where redundancies exist. The fleet is streamlined to include a series of vehicles with different specifications, according to typical tasks, that can be shared by employees and another group, such as the community. This requires developing a scheduling function that keeps the vehicles organized for both government and community use. For example, a local government could share five of their ten vehicles with community members after 5pm on weekdays and on weekends while reserving the right to priority over the vehicles. This would allow the local government to have meet all vehicular needs while reducing capital burden and improving conditions in the community.

    The program can also be a great way to develop a clear understanding of fleet requirements and make adjustments accordingly. Car sharing is increasing in popularity across North America.

    Benefits

    A car share program can result in significant operational and financial benefits:

    • Reduced GHG emissions and related pollutants.
    • Reduced operating costs.
    • Reduced insurance costs.
    • Reduced maintenance costs.
    • Freed up capital.
    • Increased vehicle availability and selection.
    • Reduced vehicle kilometres travelled.
    • Greater mobility.
    • Increased employee satisfaction.
    • More efficient land use, including a reduction in parking stalls.

    [Use the tab above to learn HOW to reduce emissions with this tool.]
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HOW

  • Car shares come in all shapes and sizes - chances are a model that works for you has already succeeded elsewhere.

    Developing a corporate car share program follows closely with vehicle and fleet right-sizing. Firstly, get in touch with an established car share organization (CSO) to discuss the potential of developing such a program. Existing CSOs such as the Co-operative Auto Network (The Car Co-op) are often willing to expand their business and may be able to help you develop your program. As of September 2008, The Car Co-op has 227 vehicles in nine municipalities including UBC, Vancouver, West Vancouver, North Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster, Tsawwassen, Nanaimo, and Cortes Island.

    The Car Co-op provides their online reservation system and invoicing to car sharing and bike sharing groups around the world. They will also provide online reservations for free for the first ten vehicles if the car or bike share organization is the first in the area.

    The District of North Vancouver has been car sharing with Co-operative Auto Network (The Car Co-op) and subsidiary The Company Car (TCC) since 2007 and the City of Vancouver hopes to start sharing cars in late 2008. / Co-operative Auto Network and The Company Car, 2008.The District of North Vancouver has been car sharing with Co-operative Auto Network (The Car Co-op) and subsidiary The Company Car (TCC) since 2007 and the City of Vancouver hopes to start sharing cars in late 2008. / Co-operative Auto Network and The Company Car, 2008.To understand if your local government would be better off taking on such a program, conduct a functional and operational analysis of your entire fleet. Work with your drivers and mechanics / technicians to design the ideal vehicles and resulting fleet on paper. Focus on driving-associated objectives and how they could best be completed, rather than just how your fleet currently works.

    Develop vehicle and fleet requirements based on this design. Pay particularly close attention to scheduling as time requirements play a critical role in how many and what type of automobiles should compose the car share portion of your fleet. Develop scheduling and sign-out functions to ensure that your car share program operates as smoothly as possible.

    Once you understand what you need your fleet to do and when you need it done, look for opportunities when you do not need vehicles. For example, weekends, holidays, or after hours on weekdays. During these times, community members may be willing to pay to use your vehicles rather than having them just sit around.

    A fuel data management system and benchmarking program will be particularly handy in monitoring and analyzing your ongoing vehicle and fleet requirements. You should revisit these tools to analyze your car share program frequently during the initial stages of its operation and make adjustments as they become clearly beneficial.

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