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 Centre will also assist the ongoing clean-up mission that is currently being undertaken in the Gulf.

Mark Frissora, Hertz Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said that since the start of the oil spill crisis in the Gulf, his organisation had been providing valuable assistance on the ground to a host of businesses and government departments. Frissora added that Hertz was in a unique position in that it could offer both car and equipment rentals, both of which have seen a surge in demand since the crisis began. The new Customer Centre will provide all aid organisations to get their people and resources to the scene of clean-up operations with a minimum of fuss.

To cope with the massive increase in rental needs from government and corporate entities, such as the Coast Guard and FEMA, Hertz has ordered some USD$7 million worth of new equipment, and is transferring a large part of its fleet of shuttle buses, vans and trucks from across the country to the affected area.