Government departments ignore grey fleet emissions

An investigation by BusinessCar magazine has revealed that almost all Government departments have ignored their grey fleets in their carbon reduction efforts. Mycompanyfleet has the perfect software solution to manage grey fleet emissions more effectively

An investigation by BusinessCar magazine has revealed that almost all Government departments have ignored their grey fleets in their carbon reduction efforts. Mycompanyfleet has the perfect software solution to manage grey fleet emissions more effectively and help avoid this occurring.

BusinessCar used the Freedom of Information Act to ask 14 Cabinet-level Government departments about their grey fleet carbon emissions figures. Only two departments recorded accurate CO2 figures for their grey fleet: Education and Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

A further six departments used estimates instead, basing their grey fleet CO2 figures on mileage claims and the Government’s official average CO2 figure for UK cars. However, because grey fleet cars are typically older than average, this CO2 figure is thought by some experts to be optimistic.

At the end of last year Buying Solutions, the Government’s procurement agency, estimated that the majority of public sector miles (57%) were actually carried out in grey fleet vehicles. Reducing that total by one million miles could unlock an estimated £250,000 in cash savings and reduce carbon output by more than 240 tonnes, it said.

Mycompanyfleet launched its Driver Self-Serve grey fleet solution last year to address the duty of care issues around vehicle condition, mileages driven and driver licence checking involving grey fleet vehicles and their drivers.

But it is particularly valuable in tackling issues such as carbon emission reduction as it has the ability to generate full grey fleet CO2 reports, allowing organisations to see exactly how many grams of carbon dioxide are produced by the grey fleet on average per mile.

The system will even identify which grey fleet vehicles, drivers and even manufacturers are least efficient in this respect, so that fleet managers can take action having identified the culprits or can steer drivers towards less polluting makes and models.

At the same time, Driver Self-Serve provides a clear audit trail and reduces the amount of administration time for the fleet manager, as drivers enter their mileages and service history details online themselves.

The system also completely automates issues such as service reminders and advises when the vehicle will need to be booked in for the next service to be carried out.

And the system includes an alternative travel module which provides users with details of different forms of transport for their planned journey, including taking the train, flying or using the bus, and allows comparisons between them and the cost of using a car.

The alternative transport module provides company employees with a choice of different forms of transport including taking the train, flying or using the bus, and allows comparisons between them and the cost of using a car.

“Our Driver Self-Serve solution provides organisations with the means to effectively manage their grey fleet carbon emissions  and identify which are the worst offenders in the green stakes,” said business executive Luke Hicks.

“And it terms of cutting the carbon footprint, our alternative travel module  provides a comparison of the price of all transport alternatives and  helps employees make the most sensible decision for their employer  and the environment,” he said.

Driver Self-Serve gives companies the means to completely automate the management of their grey fleets. Grey fleet drivers log on to the Driver Self-Serve portal and enter their current business mileages and their mileage expenses claims online as normal.

In doing so, they sign an agreement that they accept the company’s terms and conditions and that they have had their vehicle serviced in accordance with the manufacturer’s approved service schedule, or with the company’s own bespoke servicing schedule.

The  company has the  option to add a bespoke element to the service schedule by including items, such as additional tyre pressure and fluid level checks at various mileage intervals, and making them part of the company terms and conditions.

Once the vehicle details and business mileages are entered by the driver, the fleet software system that sits behind the portal compares them against the manufacturer’s approved service schedule, and the company conditions, for the vehicle in question.

It then proactively informs the driver of the number of miles left before the next service or the next check and when the vehicle will need to be booked in for the service to be carried out.

If drivers fail to update their details, they will be unsuccessful in their mileage expenses claim, which acts as a major incentive for them to keep records accurate and up-to-date. They are also automatically flagged up in an exception report to the fleet manager for further action to be taken.

Used in this way, the system provides the fleet manager with a confirmation that a service has taken place and a record of the date, in an easily visible audit trail that meets duty of care requirements.

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