Posts Tagged ‘car hire’
Tuesday, December 13th, 2011
easyJet founder, Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, has formed a partnership with joint-founder of lastminute.com, Brent Hoberman, to launch a new car-sharing operation. At some point next year, the pair expects to launch a website on which private car owners will be able to advertise their vehicles and rent them out at times when they are not using them.
Customers will be able to use applications on their smart phones to book the vehicles, and it is claimed that the scheme will be much cheaper than traditional car hire. According to Sir Stelios, the venture could well prove to be the way that car ownership and car rental develops into the future in cities.
He explained that the scheme would make use of vehicles which are already under used, instead of having to deal with the cost of purchasing new cars and maintaining them before renting them out. He said that a car which was not being used was just dead capital which he aims to bring back to life.
easyCar currently operates in around 60 countries and has more than 3,500 rental outlets around the globe. The company made a £1 million profit over the last year. The new project will kick-off in the London area where 1,000 vehicles will be tested through the spring.
Mr Hoberman said that now was the time to initiate the operation as it is predicted that the economy in the UK is to get worse through 2012. The company said that the scheme was also greener than traditional car hire.
Tags: car hire, car rental, car sharing, EasyCar, Easyjet, Lastminute.com, Sir Stelios
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Friday, July 15th, 2011
Enterprise Holdings has announced that it will be investing in growing its fleet of electrically powered vehicles as well as improving its infrastructure by upgrading facilities and introducing more charging stations. The car hire giant also said it was the first company in the US to introduce the Chevy Volt into its electric fleet.
Currently, Enterprise supplies customers with a range of EVs including the Nissan LEAF, the Mitsubishi i-MiEV and the Peugeot iOn. The company will be growing the number of electric vehicles available through its WeCar programme, business schemes and Enterprise branches in territories such as Seattle, San Francisco and Portland.
In a statement, Enterprise chairman and CEO Andrew Taylor said it was vital to the future of the car hire industry to keep vehicles economically viable and acceptable to the consumer. He added that 1.6 million vehicles are introduced by the industry every year, and the way in which those vehicles are powered is going to become increasingly important.
Lisa Martini, a company spokesperson, said Enterprise intended to use 5,500 branches around the US to introduce more customers to the latest alternative technology. She added that the introduction of more EVs would help Enterprise to become more environmentally friendly.
Over the coming five years, Enterprise is aiming to reduce the amount of energy it uses, along with related costs, by 20 per cent annually. By doing this, the firm said it would save around $50 million. As well as Enterprise Rent-A-Car, the firm operates the National and Alamo brands.
Tags: Alamo, car hire, Chevy Volt, electric vehicles, Enterprise, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Mitsubishi i-MiEV, National, Nissan leaf, Peugeot iOn, WeCar
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Tuesday, July 12th, 2011
Car hire firm Hertz has indicated that it is not yet ready to give up the fight for control of Dollar Thrifty. The company said it would be extending its tender offer for the budget rental firm by a month. The exchange offer is viewed as a formality as Hertz will not be able to acquire Dollar unless it receives board approval due to a shareholder rights plan.
Avis is also in the running to takeover Dollar, but its recent $1 billion acquisition of Avis Europe has caused speculation that the rental company may not wish to enter a higher bid. Avis is yet to produce a counter offer to Hertz’s.
In May, Hertz offered $2.08 billion for Dollar having had a previous offer rejected by stake holders. The problem for all three companies is that nothing can happen until US antitrust regulators complete their investigations into how a takeover will affect competition.
The US Federal Trade Commission is concerned that consolidation of the car hire market has resulted in only four major rivals remaining: Enterprise, Avis, Hertz and Dollar. Seeing Dollar absorbed by one of its rivals is therefore worrying to those concerned with how less competition will impact on the consumer.
Because of the extension, the Hertz offer of $71.50 per share for Dollar will now expire on 5 August. The New York Stock Exchange on Monday saw Dollar shares being traded at $73.55. Although a small drop in price was recorded, it is still above the Hertz offer.
Tags: Avis, avis europe, car hire, Dollar Thrifty, Enterprise, Federal Trade Commission, Hertz
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Monday, June 20th, 2011
Thousands of visitors intending to travel to the historical Holy Island, or Lindisfarne, off the coast of Northumberland this summer are being asked to pay attention to the tide. RNLI rescue workers say they have been called out eight times so far this year to rescue travellers who have been caught out by the sea.
It is surprising how many people decide that it is okay to drive into the sea, said Ian Clayton, a member of the Seahouses RNLI crew.
The latest to be rescued were an Australian couple who were forced to abandon their car hire as the tide swept in. Mr Clayton added that such incidents were completely preventable and that it was always the tourists and never the locals who were getting themselves into trouble.
The tide covers the causeway twice each day and there are large signs warning visitors not to try to cross if the sea has already reached the road. Those who do attempt to cross and who find themselves stranded half way as their engines fill with sea water never seem to thing it is their fault, Mr Clayton went on.
He described how one motorist was warned by locals not to attempt to cross. He apparently replied that they were just making up stories to frighten visitors. Just 30 minutes later he was holding onto the roof of his car as his wife held onto their children and the tide came in. Mr Clayton said he wondered what these people put on their insurance applications.
Tags: car hire, Holy Island, insurance, RNLI, tourists
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Wednesday, June 15th, 2011
US car hire group, Avis Budget, has declared its intentions to buy Avis Europe by making an offer of 315 pence per share. The $1 billion deal will reunite the Avis brand across the Atlantic for the first time since 1986 when they split. The takeover offer has been given the nod by 60 per cent owner of the European division D’Ieteren, a Belgian based dealership.
Avis Europe boss, Pascal Bazin, said the deal would be good news for car hire customers who would benefit from a stronger global presence. The merging of the two companies would see Avis serving customers in more than 150 different countries around the globe. Mr Bazin added that it was also good news for Europe because there was now the potential to grow the brand in ways that the firm was unable to do in the past.
The buyout will also generate some $30 million in cost savings every year, according to Avis Budget, and will generate worldwide sales of $7 billion. Mr Bazin said it would also mean that there will be improved strategic benefits as well as more access to capital.
The move comes as Avis is still tied up in a long running battle with US rival Hertz over acquisition of budget hire company Dollar Thrifty. The two sides have been in talks with Dollar about a takeover, but neither has been able to secure antitrust approval from the US regulators.
Avis is currently the third largest rental company in the US ahead of Dollar Thrifty and behind Enterprise and Hertz.
Tags: Avis, Avis budget, avis europe, car hire, Dollar Thrifty, Enterprise, Hertz
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Tuesday, June 7th, 2011
Car hire firm Europcar is making it easier for customers to rent a vehicle by offering a free delivery service to those who rent for two or more days. After the car is finished with, Europcar will then come and pick it up. The new service is called freeDeliver and, as the name suggests, it comes at no extra charge to the customer.
Europcar offers the service within a radius of 15 miles of any of its car rental stations. The company’s UK managing director, Ken McCall, said the service was unique and he believes it is what busy customers will appreciate because they don’t have to waste their time travelling to and from locations to pick up and drop vehicles off.
McCall added that the no strings attached service would set a new benchmark for the car rental industry. He went on to say that it was just one of the new initiatives Europcar would be introducing to win back the trust of the leisure traveller.
McCall said the service was already appreciated by the firm’s business travellers and that he was pleased that freeDeliver would now give time back to the company’s leisure customers. Europcar currently has 200 locations around the country and freeDeliver is offered to all those living within 15 miles of one of those locations. The car will be delivered to an address of the customer’s choice within a one-hour time slot as well as collected when the booking ends.
McCall said time was a precious commodity and now Europcar customers will have more of it.
Tags: car hire, car rental, Europcar, freeDeliver, traveller
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Wednesday, May 18th, 2011
Thrifty car hire near Tower Bridge in London has come up with a novel way in which employees can complete their journeys once they have collected or dropped off a rental vehicle with a customer. Instead of getting behind the wheel of another car, employees have found it more convenient to jump in a hire bike.
Opposite the Thrifty branch is a docking station for bikes rented out under the Barclays Cycle Hire scheme. Run by Transport for London, and otherwise known as Boris Bikes, customers are able to collect a bicycle from numerous points around the capital, use it to complete their journey and then drop that bike off at another conveniently located terminal.
Cyclists are only required to pay for the time they are actually using the bike. Thrifty is already seeing the benefits of employees choosing two wheels over four. There is now less to pay in congestion charges and at a time when the price of petrol and diesel is particularly high, the firm is making savings on fuel.
Taking advantage of the initiative is also a benefit to the environment. According to Thrifty’s Tower Bridge location manager, Francis Limbambala, none of the team has been forced to use the bikes. However, after deciding to test them out everyone agreed that they were far greener, far more efficient, and far quicker than utilising another petrol driven vehicle. The Thrifty team has also apparently found it a good way to get fitter.
The firm has invested in helmets, visibility vests and trouser-clips for the safety of its employees.
Tags: Barclays Cycle Hire, Boris Bikes, car hire, congestion charge, cyclists, rental vehicle, Thrifty
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Tuesday, March 8th, 2011
Car rental giant Avis has announced that it intends to open more than 100 new branches across the UK by the end of 2011. The car hire firm also said that it had increased the number of locations supplying vehicles to leisure customers by 50 per cent. In the last two months the company has opened 37 new branches.
Customers now have access to Avis vehicles through business solutions provider Regus. The companies have entered into a partnership at 21 new locations and car hire can be booked at a Regus office.
Further partnership deals have been struck with hotels so that guests will have no difficulty in obtaining a quality vehicle with which to explore the local area.
Avis branches can now be found in cities and towns like Windsor, Huddersfield and Cheltenham. Vehicles can also be picked up from Avis rental outlets at 38 airports. Currently the company has 170 offices throughout the UK and Avis car hire is available on four continents.
Commercial boss at Avis UK, Anthony Ainsworth, said: “50% growth of Avis’ town and city branches in just two months is a significant achievement for us and puts us another step closer to reaching our ultimate goal of having an Avis branch within a few miles of every household in the UK. Next year will see the number of Avis branches increase with a further 100+ locations, demonstrating our commitment to giving customers the choice to find a car hire solution that best suits their needs.”
Tags: airports, Avis, car hire, car rental, hotels, Regus
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Friday, February 11th, 2011
Hertz, one of the world’s best known car hire brands, has announced a new initiative to introduce solar power to selected locations across the US. The plans involve retrofitting facilities with photovoltaic panels similar to the ones installed at the company’s outlet at Denver International Airport in December last year.
Currently there are plans to upgrade 16 locations with the intention of growing the initiative into the future. Hertz senior vice president, Richard Broome, pointed out that the company was continually striving to implement environmentally friendly practices. He said that it had already made large savings on the amount of water being used as well as supplying customers with the option to hire low-emission and electric vehicles.
Hertz has already announced plans to offer its customers the Chevrolet Volt, an electric car designed for extended journeys. The firm will also roll out the Nissan Leaf at a number of locations across Europe and the US as the cars become available, and Californian customers will be able to get their hands on the Coda EV early next year.
Rival car hire giant Enterprise is also aiming to offer more electric solutions. The Chevrolet Volt is already available, and the company will be introducing the Leaf and the Coda EV to its forecourts as soon as they are released.
Enterprise, owner of the Enterprise, National and Alamo brands has also committed itself to reducing its energy bills by around 20 per cent over the next five years. To this end, the firm has announced a $150 million investment plan.
Tags: Alamo, car hire, Chevrolet Volt, Coda EV, electric vehicles, Enterprise, Hertz, National, Nissan leaf, solar power
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Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011
With a Royal Wedding adding an extra bank holiday to the calendar at Easter, Avis is offering car hire customers the opportunity to enjoy the beauty spots and historic sites of the UK. For those who do not own a vehicle, or who are tempted to try a different driving experience, car rental can be a convenient and economically sensible option.
By signing up for the Avis Preferred deal customers are guaranteed that the car keys will be handed over within three minutes of making their presence known at the rental station or a twenty pound note will.
The company’s head of marketing in the UK, Nick Mountfield, said: “Easter is always a very popular time of year to go away, but with the Royal Wedding happening this year, more people are choosing to holiday here instead. The extra bank holidays mean that by booking three days off work, Britons can actually have a whole week’s break and we’re already seeing more demand as people rush to firm up their travel plans. The UK has thousands of fantastic holiday destinations that are ideal for days out, weekends away and longer holidays, so we’re encouraging holidaymakers to make the most of their time off and explore the UK.”
Avis is extremely competitive with its rates, and customers can drive away with a vehicle for as little as £16 per day.
Mountfield added: “We’re definitely seeing a demand for booking early this Easter, so I’d urge customers to think ahead and book now in order to guarantee their vehicle of choice this April.”
Tags: Avis, car hire, car rental, Easter, Royal Wedding, travel
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