Making Car Sharing and Car Clubs Work - Case ... - The Civil Service

MAKING CAR SHARING AND CAR CLUBS WORKCASE STUDY SUMMARIESissues faced. All car sharers have worked for Land Rover for several years and hadrelocated to the Gaydon site. The key positive statements received from users were:The clear cost / financial savings (main motivation for all sharers)Software proven useful for matching partners (although those that had been registeredprior to the launch of 234car all expressed a preference for the personal approachpreviously taken)Staff were very well consulted on the office relocation and travel implications, and givenappropriate assistance in seeking car share partnersThe clear corporate commitment to car sharing7.25 Negative comments received focussed primarily upon:The lack of rewards for car sharers (incentives)The lack of any alternativesThe loss of personal freedom and flexibilitySometimes being let down by a sharer and the subsequent work related problems thatwere facedThe difficulty of approaching payment for sharing, and the lack of guidance provided byLand Rover in this area (for example, in one case, a car sharer recorded each journeyover a 12 month period and at the end of the year sought financial compensation fromthe other sharers)The need to accept other people’s driving habits7.26 All of the users adopted different mechanisms for sharing, some alternated between driverseach day, some drove for one week at a time before alternating, and others had the samedriver each day. There was no noticeable view on which of these offered the preferredapproach, and all users agreed that this is best agreed between the individuals themselves.7.27 Of those that paid for car sharing (i.e. did not drive), the payments averaged at about £3 aday. One user estimated saving £20 a week through car sharing.Other General Issues7.28 Whilst Land Rover has achieved an 8% modal shift as a result of its car sharing initiatives,this has been achieved without the need for specific incentives. The focus of the scheme isproviding a suitable matching system, which connects potential sharers, with the mainincentives for staff being their own financial savings accruing from car sharing.7.29 Land Rover staff who were relocated from Coventry and Solihull tend to live close to oneanother which makes car sharing easier. This is supported by close controls on overalllevels of car parking, flexibility in shift working times to meet the needs of potential partners,a high level of staff integration, and a strong corporate commitment to meet the targetswithin the site travel plan (which is enforced through a Section 106 Agreement).Final V1.1, Dec. 2004 - 50 -