KEY POINTS:
When Auckland Regional Council staff need to leave their central Auckland headquarters for meetings, they have a variety of transport options: rented hatchbacks, hybrid cars, electric scooters - even bicycles.
During the past few years, the authority has been re-evaluating its fleet of 110 vehicles. Unlike other fleets that just range from small cars for pool vehicles to executive-style cars for senior staff, the ARC has to provide an extreme range of transport: pool cars for office staff, but also utes for park workers and four-wheel-drives for civil defence staff.
Paul Chambers, the ARC's programme manager of organisation sustainability, has been in charge of the fleet in the past five years, during which there has been a change of focus when it comes to buying vehicles.
"With vehicles in our fleet, we've always looked at the best value for ratepayers, what is fit for its purpose", Chambers says.
The ARC also looks at the long term with every vehicle purchase, at what it calls a life costing approach to the whole of the vehicle's life.
"The plan now implements a life costing approach to the whole of the vehicle, from day-to-day running costs to resell value", says Chambers.
Hybrids have been included in the fleet, there are plans to buy electric scooters and the ARC, along with the Auckland Regional Transport Authority has introduced bicycles to the staff transport pool.
"There are now two bicycles, one for a male and one for a female, plus all the safety gear needed, and staff are receiving cycle workshops and training," says Chambers.
In another novel scheme, the ARC has signed up to cityhop, New Zealand's first car share company. It is based on the same concept as a car hire company, except that cityhop cars are parked around the CBD, including the ARC building, and members can hire the vehicles by the hour.
The reasoning behind signing up to cityhop is two-fold. If there are no pool cars available, staff can use cityhop instead of using other vehicles, and the cars used for cityhop are fuel-efficient Holden Barinas.
Chambers is such a fan of cityhop that the Waiheke-based Englishman has joined up privately too.
The council has also bought two second-hand Toyota Highlander hybrids for the Civil Defence staff.
"The second-hand hybrids were picked as the vehicles with the best value for ratepayers. They use less fuel so they save ratepayers' money," says Chambers.
The four-wheel-drives join the Honda Accord hybrids in the fleet that are used for trips out of town or on the motorway.
Chambers is also keen to introduce two German-made e-max electric scooters to the fleet. Not only are the bikes extremely cost-effective, there is a more important reason. "Those two scooters will replace one car," Chambers says.
But there is one popular fuel-efficient choice missing from ARCs fleet - diesel vehicles.
That's because the ARC believes "lots of diesel cars are not good for the public's health, especially in the CBD", says Chambers.
Even with the introduction of hybrids, and electric and pedal power, the ARC is still focused on making its fleet more sustainable.
The ARC is re-evaluating its whole fleet and feedback is due today.
In the meantime, if you see a suit on a bike, give them a bit of room - they may be an ARC staffer on a work bike, who is saving us in rates.
