How do you travel for work? Whether it’s getting stuck in traffic, boring and lonely drives to the office or travel to meetings, none of it is particularly enjoyable. However, there are lots of shared transport options out there, and at CoMoUK our aim is to find the one that works for you and your business.
We look at shared transport, such as car clubs or bike share, as part of the solution to environmental impacts of travel. In addition, there are people within communities who are isolated due to lack of access to transport, and shared transport can be a lifeline to these people
The question that is most likely on your lips is ‘what is shared transport?’ At its most simple you either share the journey or share the mode of transport. This can mean ride sharing, car clubs or bike sharing. For many, the idea of car sharing would bring to mind the TV show of the same name. It was hilarious but not always an ideal commute. However, we can tell you that this isn’t the whole picture of shared transport.
Car clubs are pay-as-you-drive hire schemes allowing members to book a variety of cars online for the time that they need – from an hour to a day – and paying only for the hire time and the distance driven. Bike share is very similar to a car club. It provides users access to bikes when they need them, for the time they need. On the other hand, ride share is something many people are familiar with; it allows you to share a journey, whether it is a commute to work or a longer distant trip, to the same destination with others.
Shared transport offers businesses the opportunity to support their staff, the environment and the local community but the other great thing about shared transport is that it can save organisations money. In the UK, businesses spend millions of pounds on grey fleets for staff travel. Swapping to utilising a car club rather than grey fleet can reduce this cost. Car clubs are already in most cities in Scotland this means, as a business, you could utilise existing car clubs. There is also the option of having a car club set-up specifically at office locations. If you used car clubs in tandem with bike share you can further reduce the cost of vehicle usage.
What are the benefits of bike share?
Supporting your Staff
Giving staff the opportunity to travel by bike can improve health and reduce sickness. Bike share schemes can be used to travel to meetings and e-bikes can increase the distances that can be travelled with ease.
Optimising your Business
By utilising bikes to travel, journey times can be improved by avoiding traffic. As a business you would also have the opportunity to consider reducing the number of parking spaces. By using e-bikes for shorter journeys this reduces car use and your business can further reduce costs.
Caring for the Environment
Your business can help reduce emissions and promote a healthy lifestyle by encouraging staff to cycle. E-bikes can also be used for a variety of journey types and enables wider use of bikes reducing the need for cars for business travel.
What are benefits of car clubs and ride share?
Supporting your Staff
Studies have shown that sitting in traffic alone during a journey increases stress levels and often feels like time is being wasted. Offering your staff the opportunity to share can make it a more enjoyable journey and alleviate stress.
Having access to a car club vehicle for work travel gives staff access to vehicles when they need them and allows them to consider other commuting options such as cycling or walking
Optimising your Business
Swapping to using a car club rather than a grey fleet can reduce the cost burden to your company. Car clubs can be set up to suit your business needs.
Caring for the Environment
Using car clubs and ride share can reduce the number of private cars on the road helping reduce emissions. In addition, the majority of car club cars are more environmentally friendly than your typical grey fleet car, which also helps the environment when car travel is necessary.
What we do?
CoMoUK works in various ways to raise awareness and move shared transport forwards. Some of the ways we do this are;
CoMoUK acts as an advocate for shared transport. We work with a variety of partners with shared goals to increase the reach and strength of shared transport.
We carry out annual surveys with car club and bike share users to gain insight into how the services are used and the impact they have on travel behaviours. These findings feed into the future developments of the schemes.
For those who are interested in setting up a shared transport scheme, we create and share guides on best practice for the development of different models of shared transport.
We work as a consultancy with local authorities, transport authorities and community groups to set-up and develop shared transport schemes.
We deliver pioneering projects to help ensure that the social and environmental benefits of shared transport are maximised.
CoMoUK is an accreditation body for car clubs and bike share schemes in the UK to ensure that users receive the best service.
We act as a support service for individuals or businesses who want to find out how shared transport could work for them. Offering materials that they can use to find out more about shared transport but also promote shared transport within their workplaces.
Why we do it?
CoMoUK believes that now is the time that we can start making positive changes to transport. Politicians, local authorities and other decision makers have acknowledged the need for change, and we want to be there to support these positive and innovative transport changes and ensure shared transport is part of the sustainable transport future.
Our Team
At CoMoUK we are proud of our team of experts. We have several members of staff who are experts in specific shared transport options such as car clubs or bike share. In addition, there are team members who can help with marketing, project management and research. All of this ensures that we can offer the best support and advice across shared transport.
Interested in shared transport?
If shared transport is something that you would like to explore for your business, then get in touch and we can help find the right option for you. We also offer templates online that you can use to promote shared transport to your staff such as posters and leaflets explaining the benefits of car clubs or bike share.
E: scotland@como.org.uk
W: www.como.org.uk
Twitter: @Como_uk
