Tewkesbury Borough Council Pool Car Usage Scheme

1. Document Purpose

To provide clear guidance for Council Staff in relation to the Council’s Pool Car Scheme

2. Scope

This policy applies to all Council employees who would normally claim business mileage expenses or book vehicle hire for the purpose of business travel, with the exception of;

Elected Members

Agency staff

Election Day staff

3. Aims of the Policy

To ensure that staff are aware of the pre-requirements for registration as a pool car user including registering on the Co Wheels booking system and the occupational road risk policy.

To ensure that staff are aware of the procedures required to book and access pool cars.

To ensure that staff are aware of the expected conditions and usage of vehicles.

To reduce the annual business mileage expense claim paid by the authority.

To ensure that staff utilise cost and carbon efficient methods of transport when conducting council business.

To reduce exposure to risk by ensuring that staff are operating vehicles that are legal and roadworthy.

4. Implementation

From 25 March 2019, the council have implemented a corporate pool car scheme. Implementation of the scheme is required to reduce the council’s grey fleet mileage claims, therefore reducing the overall cost to the authority. The recent diagnostic review of Council transport arrangements recommended that the current mileage amount claimed by staff be reduced via the implementation of a corporate pool car scheme.

Pool Vehicles will be maintained via the Council’s Finance and Asset management team and the scheme administered via Co Wheels.

Heads of Service and Operational Managers within service areas will actively promote usage of the scheme, above the use of personal vehicles, and encourage the use of efficient means of transport/pool cars to their staff.

All employees required to use a car during the course of their duties are required to register via the scheme, in order to ensure that staff are appropriately licenced they must be registered on the occupational road risk policy scheme.

5. Usage of Pool Cars

Staff normally required to use their own vehicle to conduct their duties will be offered the use of a fleet pool car for business use only, provided and maintained by Co Wheels.

Under no circumstance should the vehicle be used for personal use

All car hire bookings must be made through the Co Wheels booking system using the online portal. Users will be guided to use one of the onsite pool cars.

All staff whether using a pool car (or their own vehicle in cases where an exemption applies will be required to register on the online portal and on the occupational road risk policy register managed by finance

Staff must elect to use a pool car over the use of their own vehicle to undertake council duties. Staff may use their own vehicles to undertake council duties; however no mileage payment will be paid unless the employee can provide evidence in line with the exemptions on appendix 1 Staff must however have previously registered and offered proof of licence and insurance requirements via the scheme to use their own vehicles in these circumstances to enable any payment.

Pool cars must be returned to the assigned depot at the end of each business day. At no time should the vehicle be used for personal use.

Personal vehicles can only be used in line with the relevant exemption please see exemptions in this policy.

6. Scheme Registration and Mileage Claims

Employees will be required to provide valid driving licence and insurance information in line with the road risk policy in order to register as a driver. Information will be held for validation purposes via the Co Wheels booking system for the course of the employee’s employment.

If a pool car is unavailable for an employee’s requested journey (or the employee has been provided a specific exemption agreed by the Head of Service), the employee will be required to note on their mileage claim the relevant exemption code in order for the claim to be validated. It is advisable for staff to document when they have attempted to book a pool car for the journey; this will be verified against the system.

When making a mileage claim staff will be required to put the relevant code of exemption on the mileage claim form and the authorising signatory is agreeing to the exemption to authorise the claim.

7. Accessing a Pool Cars

Staff will be able to book a pool car using the online booking system.

Staff will be able to access the pool car scheme through the Co Wheels app which will allow them to access the car during their booking period. The charge cards are stored within the glove compartment. A car will not be accessible outside the allocated booking slot. Should staff leave something in the vehicle and needs to access the vehicle to recover it, Co Wheels Customer Services must be contacted instead of booking the car out again. As such, please check to ensure you have removed any personal items before locking and leaving the vehicle

Due to the public service centre being operation 24/7 poll cars can be booked and used at any time of the day or night

The vehicles will be kept in the allocated and signed parking at the rear of the council offices adjacent to the delivery yard

8. Responsibilities of Drivers

On collection of the vehicle the pool vehicle user will be required to check the vehicle for damage and any defects are to be reported immediately to Co Wheels. This is in the driver’s interest to ensure there is no damage prior to using the vehicle.

Drivers must report any damage caused whilst the vehicle is being used immediately to Co Wheels.

Pool vehicles should be placed back on charge if returned with less the 60% charge

Pool vehicle must be returned no later than the prescribed booking time and in a clean and acceptable state for the next user.

Should the vehicle be required for longer than the booked slot due to circumstances outside of your control (e.g. a meeting has overrun or heavy traffic) please extend your booking via the Co Wheels app. If the system does not allow you to extend the booking then you must contact Co Wheels immediately so that alternative arrangements can be made for other users who have booked the vehicle.

Staff should try to amalgamate journeys as much as possible; if you are using the vehicle to attend a meeting where other council staff are attending and departing from the council offices, all efforts should be made to travel together.

The staff member that has booked the vehicle will be responsible for any misconduct or driving offence during the booked period

Staff are responsible for ensuring the most efficient use of the vehicle e.g. ensuring that visits are scheduled to be completed in a logical route, completing as many visits as possible at one time.

Staff must immediately cancel a pool car booking as soon as possible should they no longer require the vehicle e.g. a meeting has been cancelled. This will ensure that the vehicle is available for others to use and ensure the council is getting the most out of the scheme. If the staff member is sick their line manager must contact property to cancel any vehicle bookings previously made.

The user guide in each pool car explains how to report incidents and/or accidents, breakdowns and damage.

The council will not be responsible for the loss/damage or theft of any personal belongings left in the vehicle

9. Administration of the Scheme

Co Wheels will manage the booking facility of the pool car scheme, ensuring that all requests made are met, that the vehicle is maintained to a roadworthy standard with monthly visits.

If the employee incurs a fine for a motoring, congestion or parking offence/infraction, liability remains with the employee identified as having responsibility for the vehicle during the booking period in which the offence was committed along with a Co Wheels administration charge of £25.00.

10. Responsibility of Managers and Enforcement of the Scheme

Responsibility for ensuring fair use of the scheme remains the responsibility of the Operational Managers, and/or Heads of Service.

Managers are required to ensure that all mileage claims are accompanied by proof that a pool car was unavailable for each journey, or details of a specific exemption or written agreement by the Head of Service.

Managers will be required to ensure that all mileage claimed is supported by both a description of the purpose of the journey and an accurate mileage calculation (post-code to post-code), verifiable via the use of route planning software (e.g. Google Maps).

All vehicles are tracked using vehicle telemetry system. Usage reports will be used to analyse actual usage against booked usage.

It will be the responsibility of managers to signpost all new starters to register for the scheme if their role requires the use of a passenger vehicle.

Managers must verify any mileage claimed is exclusive of home to office normal commuting mileage

Managers must support any new members of staff if their role requires use of a pool car.

Serious and/or persistent breaches of this policy may result in disciplinary action being taken against an employee

NB: training on using automatic vehicles will be provided to staff on request.

Pool Car Exemptions:

1. Personal vehicles may be used if a pool car is not available. Vehicles will need to be booked as much in advance as possible and every effort should be made to rearrange the journey time to when a vehicle is available.
2. For journeys under 20 miles with a visit that will be longer than 4 hours, a personal vehicle can be used.
3. Where the Officer’s visit is within their normal commuting mileage and the mileage claim is minimal (no more than 10 miles) a personal car can be used.
4. Where officer’s mileage is incurred for the purpose of the elections on Election Day their own private vehicle must be used and a mileage claim made.
5. Out of hours officers who are essentially on-call- these officer’s operate on an “emergency” type basis out of hours, so may not be practical to come to the offices to collect a pool car. It wouldn’t be considered practical if the journey time is excessive compared to the required journey.
6. Employees with disabilities or temporary medical condition that require a vehicle to be adapted may use their personal vehicle until an adapted vehicle is available or the medical condition improves.
7. An employee may choose to use their personal vehicle without claiming any mileage for their journey. If the employee chooses to use their vehicle no future claim can be made
8. If the booking recommends alternative methods to travel i.e. train or one day hire car this alternative should be taken.
9. Employees that have multiple work locations that they are required to work contractually at these locations and do not finish work at the start location therefore the vehicle cannot be returned to the offices then a personal vehicle can be used.

Key points before booking a vehicle:

Is the journey necessary- can you have a conference or skype call?

Can you amalgamate journeys to make better use of the vehicle?

10.1 In exceptional circumstances use of your own vehicle outside of the above agreed exemptions must be agreed in writing for the journey with the relevant staff members Head of Service. An email will be acceptable to demonstrate this.