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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Leading South African car rental company Avis says its forced move to the new Durban Airport will have long term benefits. Chief executive Wayne Duvenage said that the high cost relocation to the new King Shaka International Airport would not begin to show a positive return for at least ten years, but added that by that stage, all concerned would be glad of the transition.
Duvenage said Avis would have preferred to stay at the old airport but was forced into the move as the World Cup organisers demanded that the new location be up and running in time for the [...]

The 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa was by and large disappointing for the car hire industry. However, for Avis, the African odyssey was an unqualified success, largely due to their heavy investment in the local culture and research into the potential traveller, with consultations with previous World Cup holding nations proving highly beneficial.
Avis was able to enjoy significant growth, well in excess of the average, for the tournament and as compared to the same period last year. They did this, said chief executive Wayne Duvenage, through a strategy of preparedness which encompassed consistent projections and planning, in addition [...]

A new test is being rolled out to prevent drink drivers from getting behind the wheel in New York.
Residents in the Big Apple that have previously been found in breach of alcohol legislation in regards to driving, will, as of next month, be forced to submit to a compulsory breath test every time they wish to start their vehicle according to a new report by the Wall Street Journal. Anyone with a previous conviction for drink driving will be subject to the new initiative.
In what will become the most stringent anti-drinking laws ever passed in New York, as of August [...]