City of Philadelphia plans to shrink its car fleet to save money

Today the City’s Managing Director’s Office says it will sell off up to 500 city-owned cars from its 6000 car fleet in an effort to save money. The fleet reduction along with stricter rules on when city employee can drive city cars could, according to the Managing Director Camille Cates Barnett, save between $1.2 to $2.3 million dollars in annual savings in fuel, parking, acquisition, and maintenance costs.

The cost-cutting move is part of Mayor Michael Nutter’s plan to sharply curtail city spending after recently learning that at current spending levels the city will $450 million dollars short in five years, if nothing changes. In his previous statement, Nutter says he was instructing his budget and finance team to begin a comprehensive review of all city spending and all city programs and that he will have a “plan” by the end of October that he can present to the public and city council.

4 Responses to City of Philadelphia plans to shrink its car fleet to save money

C. Garison
September 23rd, 2008 at 4:45 pm
6000 Cars!!!! I worked for Fortune 500 companies that did not have 6000 company vehicles.
Alan Tu
September 23rd, 2008 at 4:51 pm
See for yourself. http://www.phila.gov/fleet/
6000 cars. “This fleet includes ambulances, fire apparatus, trash compactors, highway paving equipment, police cars, riding mowers, passenger and cargo vans, jeeps, buses, and sedans…”
Kate
September 23rd, 2008 at 5:24 pm
Aren’t those savings figures a little low? Say it’s $2 million for 500 cars. That’s only $4k per car for “fuel, parking, acquisition, and maintenance costs”

Is someone giving them these cars for near free or what?
Jack
October 6th, 2008 at 5:25 am
6000 cars. “This fleet includes ambulances, fire apparatus, trash compactors, highway paving equipment, police cars, riding mowers, passenger and cargo vans, jeeps, buses, and sedans…”