London’s York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has partnered with Enterprise Rent-A-Car to provide employees with a more efficient business travel program.

To increase safety and lower costs, York Teaching Hospital has adopted a combination of daily rental and car sharing, says Enterprise. Previously, the York staff used their own vehicles for business travel and was reimbursed for mileage expenses.

Now employees will use one of 10 Enterprise CarShare vehicles based at York Hospital.

“The Enterprise CarShare system will make it easier to comply with our duty of care responsibilities, particularly in terms of vehicle roadworthiness,” said Richard Vincent, assistant director of estates & facilities at York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. “Using Enterprise is also far more cost-effective than the grey fleet and means we’re no longer paying out thousands of pounds in mileage reimbursement.

“Community-based organizations are starting to realize the high incremental costs and risks associated with discretionary travel, especially if employees are allowed to use their own vehicles,” said Adrian Bewley, director of business rental at Enterprise Rent-A-Car. “The gray fleet is costly, awkward to manage and results in people driving cars over which their employer has no control. …”

The plan is to expand car sharing and rental within the York Hospital and to other hospitals run by the Trust, says Enterprise.