About Us
Gul-e is an innovative electric vehicle (EV) charging solution created by ODS, Oxford City Council’s local authority trading company.
£42.5m
GVA in the UK
600+
Employees
6.7 tonne
CO2 reduction per year
Oxford
Living Wage
Who Are We?
About Gul-e
Gul-e was created to break down the barriers that people face in charging their EVs at home, following grant funding from Innovate UK and the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles.
It provides a slick, secure and convenient home charging option for those who don’t have access to a driveway, without causing a trip hazard to the public or adding to street clutter.
The idea was initially driven by the need to support the predicted rapid uptake of EVs in Oxfordshire, but it’s our ambition to open up the solution across the UK and we are eager to support local authorities who would like to trial the Gul-e solution in their area.
Gul-e is an innovative way to deliver profitable and sustainable growth that provides genuine benefits to people and the planet, supporting transport decarbonisation plans for cleaner and healthier communities.
It’s our way of doing good for the community and the planet.
Who Are We?
About ODS
ODS was formally established in 2012 and was created as a way to serve the community’s needs in Oxford. In 2018, ODS became wholly owned by Oxford City Council, enabling ODS to deliver not only high quality public services, but cost-effective commercial services too
ODS manages and delivers a variety of services on behalf of Oxford City Council. This includes street cleaning, highway maintenance, recycling & waste services, parks maintenance, fleet services and car park management.
They also act as a commercial entity, providing high quality services to businesses across Oxfordshire and beyond.
We are building a new kind of business, one that balances purpose for profit and is good for everyone.
We call it ‘doing good’.
How We Do Good
We are a doing good company, one that takes pride in creating positive social, environmental, and economic impacts, to help create a better future for everyone.
We are one of Oxfordshire’s biggest trade employers, with over 600 employees. With much of our workforce living in Oxford itself, our staff have a vested interest in their work and take pride in their local community.
We’re building a business that’s good for everyone, one that is 100% invested in our community, that truly balances purpose and profit. We create a more inclusive and sustainable economy and we consider the impact of our decisions on our employees, customers, suppliers, community, and the environment:
- We’re committed to fair and open business practices and good customer relations.
- We support the local economy, employing globally and buying locally. We create income for the council and support the community and businesses in Oxford.
- We pay the Oxford living wage, invest in training and development, and deliver HR initiatives such as health care, flex days.
- We choose suppliers carefully, looking at their labour, health, safety and environmental practices.
- The income that we generate is invested back into the Council to improve public services.
- We want to make your part of the world a better place to live, work and visit.