Second-placed BC50 leasing company Leaseplan has announced a global roll-out of a new car-sharing scheme to rival the likes of Alphabet’s AlphaCity corporate car-sharing service.
The initiative is set to be introduced to the UK “over the course of 2016”, the leasing giant said.
Known as SwopCar, the service allows companies to share vehicles between employees on-demand, to better meet mobility needs.
Leaseplan said the new service “aims to relieve” fleet managers of operating and managing a fleet without dedicated drivers.
Eligible drivers will be able to access an online reservation platform and smartphone app so they can check vehicle availability and plan trips.
Meanwhile, the cleaning, refueling and maintenance of the vehicles are handled of by Leaseplan’s network of service providers.
The SwopCar service aims to reduce mobility costs and claims to offer fleet managers an accurate and transparent overview of vehicle usage, providing insights into how and when employees need and utilise a SwopCar.
The usage reporting system also provides reports and car insights on CO2 emissions, helping address the growing need for increased corporate sustainability.
“We developed the SwopCar service in order to meet the growing demand for driver mobility solutions beyond the traditional lease product,” said Nick Salkeld, chief commercial officer at Leaseplan.
“As a result of trends such as urbanisation, sharing, eco-awareness, mobile devices and connectivity, we foresee a shift from vehicle-oriented services to individual driver-oriented services.”
Lesley Slater, business development director at Leaseplan UK, said: “It’s exciting to see Leaseplan globally launch SwopCar to meet the growing demand for driver mobility solutions.”
“In the UK, car clubs will be a key part of the employee mobility strategy for our customers in all sectors and we will be looking to introduce this concept over the course of 2016”
