The Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation, the philanthropic division of Enterprise Holdings, has announced a new pledge to the US Urban League.
The new three-year, $3 million grant coincides with the celebration of the League’s 100th anniversary and will support the organisation’s Whitney M. Young Jr. Center for Urban Leadership.
The National Urban League renowned across the US and the world as a civil rights organisation that is dedicated to empowering local economies to raise the general standard of living in historically poor urban communities. The Whitney M. Young Jr. Center is an initiative to help sustain the National Urban League’s movements via the [...]

With the modern commercial emphasis on environmental sustainability, the need to reduce one’s carbon footprint has been more important than ever.
With the fragile state of the planet squarely in mind, Avis Car Rental has been able to make significant reductions in its carbon impact at its KwaZulu-Natal regional depot through the use of recycled water and low-voltage lighting.
Wayne Duvenage, Avis South Africa CEO, said that the company had installed a 15,000 litre water storage reservoir at the vehicle preparation centre which captures all of the run-off rainwater from the group’s buildings. This water is then used in the final water [...]

The ongoing battle for control of Dollar Thrifty has taken another twist.
The dispute, which has seen Hertz, the second largest US car rental company, and Avis, the third largest, locked in an increasing bitter battle for the smaller outfit, has been ongoing since before last Christmas, when Hertz offered the initial USD$1.2 billion bid that sent shockwaves across the American car hire industry.
Now, the Avis Budget Group has announced that it has amended its credit facility in order to secure the necessary financing for a possible takeover of Dollar Thrifty. Recent poor performances on the stock market had meant that [...]

Leading US car rental organisation Hertz has announced the opening of a new Customer Care Centre on the Gulf Coast.
The Gulf Coast of the United States, also commonly referred to as the South Coast or Gulf South, consists of coastlines of states that lie along the Gulf of Mexico, including Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas. The highly commercial region has its car hire and travel industry centred on Tampa, New Orleans and Houston.
The new Customer Care Centre will aim to serve predominantly retail customers, business travellers and government employees across the region with vehicle and equipment rental solutions. The [...]

Leading car hire company Enterprise Rent-A-Car has announced the successful renewal of its existing speech recognition contract.
The UK leader in providing business, personal and replacement car hire, Enterprise will continue to utilise the speech-enabled locator service from Eckoh, EckohLOCATE.
Using the specialist speech recognition software, customers with Enterprise can announce the name of any town and the EckohLOCATE will identify the closest Enterprise rental branch to within five miles of that destination. It will also offer the ability to connect directly to that branch, while providing opening hours, address and contact information.
Operating since 1994 in the UK, Enterprise currently employs over [...]

Heathrow’s Terminal 5 will see the introduction of the latest state-of-the-art innovation in touch-screen technology.
Fresh from the recent release of the similarly innovative iPhone App, the touch-screen debut comes from the leading European car rental organisation, Europcar. The new interactive technology is the first of its kind for any car hire company anywhere in the world, and shows Europcar’s continued commitment to enhancing the customer experience.
From the start of next month, travellers who arrive at Heathrow’s iconic T5 will be able to utilise the new 30 inch screens which run on the Microsoft Surface platform. The screens are especially built-in to a [...]

Across Australia, the cost of hiring a vehicle through leading car rental organisation has increased.
According to new data, the average rental rate for a Hertz hire car has increased by around AUD$5 (£3) on a daily basis, or AUD$30 (£18) for weekly hire. This increase applies to all cities and states across the length and breadth of the country.
Hertz claims that the increase in rental costs in Australia has been brought about by the continually growing costs of gasoline prices in the popular driving destination, in addition to a slight increase in the cost of vehicle maintenance and vehicle depreciation [...]

Residents in the North Carolina city of Raleigh can now take advantage of hourly car hire.
Wednesday saw the release of a new car sharing program between the city and leading car rental organisation Enterprise Rent A Car, with the key target market those residents who do not have a vehicle of their own who still need to make short drives around the district.
The launch of the new Raleigh initiative is the latest in the successful Enterprise’s WeCar program, which features at hand rental solutions for all short-term driving needs, and is highlighted by 24/7 availability. Founded in 2008 as a [...]

Leading European car rental company Avis is looking to enhance its visibility.
The car hire group has announced that it is on the lookout for a new direct marketing agency that can take on the promotion of its loyalty programme across the continent.
Last week saw Avis approach a number of direct marketing network agencies, and will compile a shortlist of selected agencies to hold further chemistry meetings with later this month and in early August. It is believed that the briefing to the DM representatives was called as part of a wider renewal of efforts by the Avis group to increase [...]

An armed man has left two employees of a Florida office of Budget Rent-A-Car in hospital.
According to police in Titusville, the gunman burst into the rental facility, situated on the corner of South Washington Avenue and South Terrier Trail, at around 0900 on Wednesday morning. He attempted to rob the office and proceeded to pistol-whip the two staff members before escaping. The two employees were taken to the Parrish Medical Center where they were treated, though both are expected to make a full recovery.
Police said that the gunman did not escape in any vehicle from the depot, and are waiting [...]