Torbay Council adopts green travel scheme for staff

Torbay Council has teamed up with Enterprise Car Club to give its staff more option to travel in a more efficient and environmentally friendly way using electric vehicles.
 
Staff at the Council will be able to book one of three electric Nissan Leaf cars for work journeys. The initial scheme is for Council staff, and the longer term plan is to widen the scope to include a community car club. Staff who register for the scheme will also be able to use other Enterprise electric and low-emission vehicles at a range of sites around the country, further increasing choice for staff who need to travel for work purposes.
 
It is all part of the Council’s ongoing work to become carbon neutral and tackle climate change both within the organisation and across the wider Torbay. Other recent measures have included installing heat pumps at a number of council owned buildings, securing funding for more electric charging points, supporting active travel (such as walking and cycling), and working with partners such as Exeter Community Energy to help people keep their homes warm and reduce heating bills.
 
In addition to being better for the environment, the new scheme will help cut down on costs, reducing the need for staff to claim expenses and cutting wear and tear on staff’s own cars. It is estimated by Enterprise that the reduction in corporate travel costs could be as much as 25% in per mile business travel reimbursement costs if enough people use the pool cars.
 
Dave Thomas, Leader of Torbay Council, said: “We are delighted to be able to launch this new greener travel option for staff together with Enterprise Car Club as part of our work internally, and wider work with all our partners on the Torbay Climate Partnership, to reduce Torbay’s carbon footprint and become more sustainable.
 
“Transport is responsible for 30 per cent of Torbay’s emissions and we know our staff are travelling around the Bay frequently, often in personal vehicles that are not low or zero emissions, so this scheme is really important as well as promoting other options such as public transport and more active travel where possible such as walking and cycling.”
 
Dan Gursel, Managing Director of Enterprise Car Club, said: “We are delighted to work with Torbay Council to support their efforts in promoting sustainable travel for their employees by providing zero-emission electric cars.
 
“We are working with an increasing number of organisations around the country who want to provide their staff with an alternative to using their own cars for work journeys. By providing access to modern, low- or zero-emission cars, employees and organisations benefit from lower costs and a reduction in carbon footprint.
 
“Council staff who have access to the car club vehicles for work purposes can also join Enterprise Car Club for personal use, for free, giving them access to 1,400 car club vehicles across the UK.”

^{Picture caption: Left to right are Leader of Torbay Council Dave Thomas and Deputy Leader Chris Lewis with Philip Wright, Keiran Allen and Shane Crawley from Enterprise.}