Elected Member Briefing - Pool Cars Update

About this Briefing Note

Report by: Pat Taggart, Fleet Manager

EMBN Number: 044-24

Date: 17 May 2024

Subject: Pool Cars

Responsible Officer: Fraser Croft, Strategic Lead - Communities, Business & Resources

Details

Purpose

This Briefing Note provides an update on pool car usage during 2023/24.                

Briefing Information

We are pleased to note that use of pool cars over the course of the last year has seen an increase with the total number of bookings during 2023/24 sitting at 7,233. 

The total distance covered is 292,721 miles, which is an equivalent saving of £131,724 by not having to pay for mileage claims on personal vehicles. 

In 2023/24 bookings for Canal Street based cars reached 83.04%, an increase from 79.17% during 2022/23, and for cars at the other outlying locations bookings reached 72.93%, a significant increase from 50.88% during 2022/23. 

All staff with valid driving licences are able to use pool cars to help facilitate them in being able to do their job. 

The Fleet Team are currently working on a project aimed at delivering more savings for the Council through reduced mileage claims with more pool cars being made available for staff to use them across a wider area within PKC.  

In addition, the Fleet Team are working with the HSCP on a project to increase efficiencies across our internal care at home teams, HART, HART+ and Living Well Care, by procuring 15 pool cars, to support greater efficiency across our internal care at home service. 

Officers are currently investigating costs (including infrastructure costs) related to moving pool car vehicles over to electric vehicles once existing pool vehicles reach the end of their useful life. There are many other benefits however from moving away from the use of grey fleet (privately owned) vehicles to a wider pool fleet for use across the Council in addition to the shift to electric vehicles so the principle of expanding the pool fleet is something we should be striving to achieve. Officers will provide an update on this work to the Climate Change and Sustainability Committee later this year. 

There are 35 vehicles available for booking from 9 locations:  

• Strathearn Community Campus, Crieff 

• Loch Leven Community Campus, Kinross 

• Grammar School, Perth 

• Canal Street Multi Storey, Perth 

• Bertha Park High School, Perth

• Broxden Park & Ride, Perth 

• Jessie Street, Blairgowrie 

• High Street, Perth (8-Seater Only) 

• Pitlochry Community Hospital