Written evidence from the British Vehicle
Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) (TE 99)
1. BVRLA and its members welcome the opportunity
to provide its comment on your inquiry into transport and the
economy. The BVRLA is the trade body for companies engaged in
the leasing and rental of cars and commercial vehicles. Its members
provide transport mobility solutions to both businesses and individuals.
Our members operate a combined fleet of 2.5 million cars, vans
and trucks, buying nearly half of all new vehicles sold in the
UK.
2. In light of the dramatic change to the UK
economy and the subsequent major public expenditure cut backs
we agree that it is vital that every pound is invested to maximise
the benefit for Government and all road users.
3. We think it is highly probable that some local
government may inappropriately chose to implement proposals such
as workplace parking levies, or parking fines to help them raise
revenue, without the intended objective of these policy instrument
being achieved. It is also probable that we will see a cut in
transport projects and capital expenditure that are necessary
for the long term development of the economy instead of focussing
on looking at improving efficiencies and cutting waste.
4. In terms of priorities for national transport
spending we see the following as key:
- Maintenance of the networks
- We note that road building is not a feasible solution when the
economy is recovery out of recession, which means that maintenance
of the existing road network is vital particularly if the Government
wants to continue to reduce road accidents and improve road safety.
- Road infrastructure
- Investment in road infrastructure can be used to promote economic
growth. A good road infrastructure will help goods move efficiently
and effectively and therefore businesses will look to invest and
manufacturer their product in this country and boost employment.
The Government needs to carefully consider any cuts in road infrastructure
and the impact they may have on businesses in the UK in particular
the costs of congestion and accidents which affect the operational
efficiency of business.
- Hard shoulder running has previously been used
as a way of expanding the road network without building more roads.
There appears to be many positives from this type of approach
and we would urge the committee to consider supporting further
use of it to help support businesses and the UK work-force.
- Guidance to councils
- With less priority being given to strategies for councils by
central Government and regional bodies being removed, the role
of central Government should be, we believe, to provide a clear
national framework to help ensure there is a clear and consistent
approach towards policies affecting motorist. If councils are
considering their own local solutions such as low emission zones,
congestion charge schemes etc it is vital that a level of consistency
is in place to ensure motorists are not left confused. For example,
if several low emission zones are in place they should not have
different emission standards for entry as commercial vehicle users
would need to be aware which cities they are able to travel in
and which they are not in a clear and consistent manner. The same
is true of congestion charge schemes, if there were several congestion
charge schemes which each have different payment methods and hours
of operations motorists would very easily send out confusing messages,
which would defeat the intended purpose of getting road users
to change their behaviour
- Lorry Road User Charge
- The previous proposal for a lorry road user charge unfortunately
turned out to be a highly complicated solution and the costs of
implementation far out-weighed any benefits. If an alternative
solution can be found which is tax neutral and helps with the
objective of ensuring all goods vehicle freight users pay for
their use of the road network then our members would no doubt
be supportive
- Local congestion charging schemes
- These schemes benefit those who live in the local area where
the congestion charge scheme is in place as the money is reinvested
in local transport schemes. There is little benefit for those
who travel into the area where the scheme is in place. However
local congestion charging schemes do encourage people to think
about alternatives to car ownership which is where car rental
and car clubs can play a role. Rental and car clubs continue to
provide a cost effective and environmentally friendly alternative
to car ownership, especially as the sector operates the cleanest
vehicles therefore having a minimal environmental impact. Our
members provide transport mobility solutions that are available
from one hour to one month and are a viable alternative to owning
a car in city locations where good public transport exists. If
a car owner gives up their vehicle and chooses to rent a car only
when needed research has shown:
- One rental car takes at least five to 11 private
cars off the road
- Rental cars emit only 63% CO2 compared
to those they replace.
- Mileage is reduced by 53.6%.
5. We trust our comments go some way to help
shaping a good transport system for the future of long-term economic
growth.
The BVRLA is the trade body for companies engaged
in the leasing and rental of cars and commercial vehicles. Its
members provide rental, leasing and fleet management services
to corporate users and consumers. They operate a combined fleet
of 2.5 million cars, vans and trucks, buying nearly half of all
new vehicles sold in the UK.
Through its members and their customers, the BVRLA
represents the interests of more than two million business car
drivers and the millions of people who use a rental vehicle each
year. As well as lobbying the Government on key issues affecting
the sector, the BVRLA regulates the industry through a mandatory
code of conduct.
September 2010
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