An alternative way of running company car schemes could be just the solution Birmingham firms are looking for when the planned new Clean Air Zone charge comes into force in 2020.
Alphabet (GB) is a fleet leasing and business mobility firm which runs a corporate car sharing scheme called 'AlphaCity'.
It aims to hit the spot between those tried and tested methods of running company vehicles - the shared pool car and the age-old company car.
AlphaCity is a 'smart' system for companies to solve regular and ad-hoc business trips for employees.
Drivers simply check if a vehicle is available online, book a slot and then unlock the car using a card which is swiped over a sensor on the windscreen.
Sign up for our free Clean Air Zone breaking briefing with Alphabet (GB) here
They then enter a PIN and some basic details into a dashboard computer before commencing their journey.
It helps employers know when their cars are being used and for how long, meaning they can make more efficient use of a fewer number of cars, rather than have company vehicles sitting idle for hours on end every day.
David Jones, communications manager with Alphabet (GB), explains how the system could revolutionise work trips for companies in Birmingham and the West Midlands.
"It is really about breaking away from that mindset of having one person to one car.
"As many as 20 or 30 employees can share one vehicle which is keyless.
"So organisations can solve hundreds of business journeys made currently by using pool cars, rental vehicles or taxis with just a few AlphaCity cars.
"It has already been proven that this system reduces fleet mobility costs.
"The AlphaCity technology is available on around 160 different makes and models, which includes light commercial vehicles, electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, as well as petrols and diesels which are all compliant with Birmingham's planned Clean Air Zone.
"Vehicles are kept at a 'geo-fenced' location on the company's premises and can be liveried with the company's branding.
"The service is for use by staff once they are actually at work, rather than the commute into the office and AlphaCity offers 24/7 customer support because the vehicles are used around the clock.
"We understand this technology and approach are new for a lot of people but every time we talk to businesses they're surprised at the different ways AlphaCity can help them."
Last year, existing AlphaCity customers made around 25,000 journeys and covered over one million miles on UK roads.
The Clean Air Zone is set to come into force in January 2020 and will affect vehicles such as older petrol and diesel cars, and certain taxis, lorries and buses, with charges potentially ranging from £6 to £100.
The aim is to bring pollution down to legally safe levels and cut the high levels of lethal nitrogen dioxide in the air in Birmingham city centre.
Mr Jones says the clock is now ticking for companies in Birmingham and the West Midlands to prepare for the new Clean Air Zone.
He added: "Are there smarter ways to get your employees to where they need to go?
"Smarter in terms of using the vehicles a company has more efficiently, having fewer cars on the road to reduce congestion and having a mix of different vehicles available including petrol, hybrid and electric.
"Birmingham's businesses have just over year to look at how they are going to approach this and work out what they need to do.
"The Second City is really leading the country with the UK's most comprehensive and wide-ranging Clean Air Zone.
"It is a big, transformative step for transport in a city which is making lots of big, transformative steps at the moment."
Free Clean Air Zone breakfast briefing
Alphabet (GB) has teamed up with Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce to co-host a free breakfast briefing this week on the Clean Air Zone.
It is being held at the Library of Birmingham on Thursday, November 29.
The briefing will start at 8am and is free to businesses of all sizes that operate vehicles in the Birmingham area.
'Keeping Birmingham's businesses moving in the new Clean Air Zone' will examine the substance of the new regulations and the penalties of non-compliance with zone standards, while advising vehicle fleet operators about the preparations they need to make ahead of 2020.
There will be a Q&A session and a panel discussion chaired by BirminghamLive editor-in-chief Marc Reeves with Birmingham City Council's cabinet member for transport and environment Cllr Waseem Zaffar, chamber chief executive Paul Faulkner, chief commercial officer of Alphabet (GB) Simon Carr and Tim Anderson, senior transport advice manager with the Energy Saving Trust.
Space is limited so attendees are asked to register their interest for 'Keeping Birmingham's businesses moving in the new Clean Air Zone' at www.eventbrite.co.uk.
