CHICAGO- Using a successful Washington, D.C. program as a model, the Cook County Board of Commissioners is banking on an electronic monitoring system to make its management of the county's 2,000-vehicle fleet more efficient, according to Chicago Current.

Commissioners are expected to refer to the County Board's vehicle committee a resolution requesting a study to explore how an electronic fleet management system would work in Cook County.

The hope, says Commissioner Gregg Goslin, is for the study to find it possible to get results similar to D.C.'s - where the fleet dramatically shrank, from 360 to 58. The electronic system would be similar to private car-sharing ventures; the D.C. program is administered by Zipcar.

While Zipcar has not been named as a potential partner, such a program would be administered by a third party.

Before a study is conducted, it's impossible to tell what kind of fiscal impact a similar program would have in Cook County. But, Goslin says, "It would be measured in the millions."

The study commissioners are hoping for would examine vehicle demand, usage, maintenance would use real-time data and more to improve the fleet's performance, while cutting it by 20 to 40 percent.

A vehicle-sharing program in Cook County would use real-time data to show vehicle usage and demand, while improving maintenance protocol and cutting the fleet by 20 to 40 percent, reported the Chicago Current.