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Wednesday, August 4th, 2010
Motorists who ignore speed limits are most likely to have their number-plates photographed in the Greater London area, according to recent research. GPS speed camera data supplier, RoadPilot, claims that drivers breaking speed limits in the capital are more than 100 times more likely to be caught on camera than anywhere else in the UK.
With 16 per cent of the country’s speed cameras, London has more roadside traps than the whole of Scotland, Ireland and Wales combined. Second to London is Birmingham, which has 7.4 per cent of the UK’s cameras. West Yorkshire has 6.7 per cent, Lancashire has 5.7 per cent and Staffordshire has five per cent.
RoadPilot’s CEO, James Flynn OBE, said that it was not a surprise to learn that London had the highest percentage of cameras in the country. He added that it was surprising to realise just how unevenly distributed the devices were. He went on to point out that the UK is probably the most heavily policed country in the world when it comes to speed limits.
The UK currently has around 5,500 speed cameras in operation on its roads. According to Flynn, the vast majority of these are set up to monitor 30mph restrictions. With only 3.6 per cent of all the cameras set up to catch speeding motorists on 70mph roads, it means that drivers don’t have to be operating at excessive speeds in order to be issued with a penalty.
Flynn concluded that with all the distractions on today’s roads, drivers needed to be constantly reminded of local limits.
Tags: drivers, GPS, motorists, RoadPilot, speed cameras, speed limits
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Wednesday, July 28th, 2010
Hertz has announced that it has established a dedicated Gulf Coast Customer Care Centre in the Gulf of Mexico in order to assist people visiting the area to help with the clean-up find the right vehicle and the right equipment for the job. A team of customer care representatives will be on-hand to assist with finding the most appropriate vehicles and equipment as well as give out helpful advice.
Hertz chairman and chief executive, Mark P Frissora, said that as soon as the Gulf Coast tragedy happened, the company had people on the ground ready to assist in any way they could with helping to organise vehicle solutions for those coming into the area. He added that demand has been creeping up as the crisis has continued, and that the new Customer Care Centre would help cater to that demand.
He went on to say that Hertz has always been ready to cope with a catastrophe and confirmed that the firm had deployed people to the area from across the country. Hertz employees from places such as Las Vegas, Washington and Fort Myers are now assisting local management in getting vehicles and equipment to those who need it most.
Hertz has deployed several hundred additional vehicles to the region, including vans and SUVs. A number of these vehicles will be used by officials from the government, FEMA and the Coast Guard. Hertz says that its equipment arm has put in an order for $7 million worth of additional supplies.
Hertz Equipment Rental also intends to set up base-camps in Alabama and Florida to make getting vehicles and equipment to customers speedier and more efficient.
Tags: coast guard, customer care centre, FEMA, government, Hertz, Hertz Equipment Rental, Mark P. Frissora, SUV
Posted in Car Rental News | Comments Off
Wednesday, July 21st, 2010
Avis car hire has admitted that although it had to relocate to King Shaka International Airport at a time when the industry was suffering from the effects of the global economic downturn, now that it has done so, it hoped to see the benefits. The new airport was opened ahead of this year’s World Cup tournament, even though a number of airlines announced that it was not necessarily needed.
Wayne Duvenage, chief executive of Avis South Africa, said that the company had also decided to bring forward the delivery of a new fleet of vehicles to coincide with the World Cup instead of the summer holidays, as would normally be that case.
The new high-tech premises at King Shaka International cost R31 million and has the facilities to maintain, store and refuel up to 2,000 vehicles. The facility also incorporates carbon-saving and water-saving initiatives. There is even a cleaning station capable of making a vehicle look brand new in just 12 seconds.
Duvenage explained that as of September 2009, Avis has been carbon neutral. He added that carbon offsetting was being practised by the firm, and that it was investing in the production of clean energy in India, China and Tanzania.
By storing rainfall which is collected from roofs, Avis has also managed to slash its municipal water consumption by around 80 per cent. In Cape Town, a water tank capable of holding 185,000 litres of water means that the depot never needs to access the municipal supply during times of heavy rain.
Tags: airlines, Avis, Avis South Africa, car hire, clean energy, King Shaka International, summer holidays, World Cup
Posted in Car Rental News | Comments Off
Wednesday, July 14th, 2010
Global leaders in car hire, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, have joined a number of other major brand names in setting up an app on independent media network, Youth Media. The new app will feature on the YouthWire Desktop Platforms on computers located in libraries and study areas in universities and colleges around the country. The app is aimed at giving students an insight into the history of Enterprise, what it is like to work for the company and up-to-date information on opportunities with the firm.
Director of Youth Media, Justin Smith, said: “With reports that there are 70 graduates applying for every vacancy in the UK, companies know they need to sift through the market and identify the best candidates, and Enterprise was able to get an excellent start to this process through this app on our platform.”
The Enterprise app is now available on the YouthWire network in 34 universities across the UK. This gives the car hire giant access to around 650,000 students, each of whom can now apply for jobs with Enterprise online.
Youth Media is currently the only media network available on computers in the country’s universities and colleges. All of the media solutions featured on its desktop platforms have been wholly endorsed by the academic institutions in which they operate.
Partnerships with more than 200 educational establishments across the UK means that Youth Media reaches approximately 2.5 million students aged between 14 and 25. Other clients with apps on the Youth Media platform include the Army, the Royal Bank of Scotland, the NHS and Microsoft.
Tags: app, Army, car hire, Enterprise, enterprise rent a car, graduates, Microsoft, the NHS, the Royal Bank of Scotland, Youth Media, YouthWire
Posted in Car Rental News | Comments Off
Wednesday, July 7th, 2010
Peugeot has announced that it is launching pilots of its car club scheme ‘Mu by Peugeot’ in the UK. The operations will role out in Bristol and London offering those who sign up for membership the chance to rent a vehicle from a participating Peugeot dealership for just a few hours or over a week.
Car clubs throughout the world are offering drivers a viable alternative to owning a vehicle. According to the Department for Transport membership of such schemes in the UK has practically doubled in the last year alone. Car clubs in the UK now have a membership of over 112,000.
As well as offering a economical alternative to owning a car, car clubs are helping to cut back on congestion on the roads as well as the damage done by vehicles to the environment. Managing director of Peugeot UK, Jon Goodman, said that as well as supplying much needed solutions in the current economic and environmental climate, Mu by Peugeot was offering flexibility, convenience and a wide product range to its members.
The Peugeot car club scheme is already available through dealerships in Paris and other major French cities. It has also been rolled out in the Spanish, Italian and German capitals and by the end of next year, Peugeot hopes to have a presence in nine countries across Europe.
Mu by Peugeot offers a range of vehicles from scooters costing just £18 per half-a-day to large vans which can be taken away by members for £300 per week.
Tags: car clubs, Department for Transport, Mu by Peugeot, peugeot, Peugeot car club, Peugeot dealership
Posted in Car Rental News | Comments Off
Wednesday, June 30th, 2010
Andy Murray has admitted that he is pleased his supporters have been able to move on from the disappointment of the World Cup and get behind him at Wimbledon. He added that it makes a huge difference to the pressure of the tournament when one knows that the home support is there for you.
Murray faces Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Centre Court this afternoon. The only hope of British sporting glory this summer, Murray is bound to be feeling some pressure. However, he is still to drop a set in this tournament, and seems genuinely relaxed.
Murray has been staying at his Surrey home throughout the championships. He said that it made him feel more comfortable to be in his own home surrounded by family and friends. He explained that on the court it made little difference, but to be off the court with those you know well around you is nice. He explained that it was difficult to get that during the rest of the year.
The forecast for Wimbledon today is for some light drizzle early on followed by another fabulously warm day with temperatures expected to hit around 27C.
In the audience, cheering him on with the rest of the supporters today will be Murray’s mother Judy and Kim Sears, his girlfriend. David Beckham also appears to be trying to put the country’s dismal performance in South Africa behind him. The former England football captain has apparently sent a good luck message to the Scot ahead of today’s clash via text message.
Tags: Andy Murray, Centre Court, david beckham, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, tennis, Wimbledon, World Cup
Posted in Celebrity News | Comments Off
Wednesday, June 16th, 2010
Companies regularly running cars from their fleets through the central London congestion charge zone are complaining that they are receiving unjustified fines and being overcharged by a new automatic online system. The system was installed in November last year by IBM so that fleet owners could register their vehicles online and be automatically charged when they entered the congestion zone.
For companies which have large vehicle fleets, rental suppliers and leasing firms, the advantage of registering the vehicles online is a £1 discount on the £8 charge every time one of their vehicles crosses the congestion charge boundary.
However, operations director at Miles & Miles car rental, Bryan Thompson, claims that the system is too slow, too laborious and far from user friendly. He said that if he had to guess, he would say that the system was designed by a two-year-old child.
Mr Thompson said that the firm had contacted Transport for London, but was still experiencing problems. He added that after the new system had been introduced, his firm was charged twice what they should have been and even charged for a hybrid vehicle which entered the congestion zone, even though they are exempt. He went on to say that IBM should buy the previously used Capita system, as that worked far better.
TfL have admitted that there may have been some teething trouble, but added that they had mostly been sorted out now. A spokesman said that TfL was determined to work closely with fleet companies to make sure that the system continued to work well in the future.
Tags: Capita, car rental, congestion charge, congestion charge zone, fines, hybrid vehicle, IBM, tfl, Transport for London
Posted in Car Rental News | Comments Off
Wednesday, June 9th, 2010
Visitors to O’Hare International Airport, Chicago, could soon find themselves faced with an $8 additional charge when they sign for a rental vehicle. Mayor Richard Daley is trying to get the fee approved, so that the money can be put towards airport expansion. Part of the expansion plans at the airport is the construction of two new runways.
In order to build the runways, O’Hare needs to consolidate the car hire companies, which currently occupy a number of separate buildings at the airport. The proposal at the moment is to put them all under one roof in a dedicated rental car centre at the intersection of Mannheim and Zemke, where Parking Lot F presently stands.
The $8 charge will be used to fund the building of the rental centre. The Aviation Committee has already approved the Mayor’s proposal and it will now go in front of the City Council. If they agree, then the new charge could be in place by August, according to Rosemarie Andolino, Aviation Commissioner.
Andolino said that she would be assessing the cost of the new consolidated car hire centre, and would decide whether the new charge needed to be raised or lowered in accordance. She added that as long as the car rental firms were given 30 days’ notice that the charge would be changing, she had the ordinance to do so.
Car hire customers at O’Hare are already charged a flat fee of $2.75 each day. There is also an 8 per cent tax on all rentals. The proposed $8 per day would be in addition to these charges.
Tags: car hire, car hire centre, O'Hare International Airport, rental car, rental centre, rental vehicle, tax
Posted in Car Rental News | Comments Off
Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010
Hertz, the world’s number one general use car hire brand, and Oman Air have launched a new partnership which will allow members of Oman’s national carrier’s frequent flyer programme to take advantage of special rates and offers in a number of key destinations. As of now, members of Oman Air’s Sinbad Frequent Flyer club will be eligible to earn 500 miles every time they make use of a standard vehicle in the Hertz Collection, or 1,000 points when they reserve specific models from the Hertz Prestige Collection.
Oman Air’s general manager, worldwide sales, Abdulrazaq Alraisi, said that the deal would enable Oman Air’s customers to have access to the best rates Hertz had to offer.
He added that as well as the great deals being made available, members would also be able top up their air miles, whilst accessing discounted rentals across the Hertz range, including its Green, Prestige and Fun Collections.
Silver and Gold members of the airlines frequent flyers club will automatically be given complimentary membership of the Hertz #1 Club Gold programme. This will give customers access to speedier rental reservations, a straight-to-car service which is available at a number of major airports and express check-in services which are available to customers at well over 1,000 locations.
President, Hertz International and executive vice president Hertz Corporation, Michel Taride, said that he hoped the new deal would exceed customer’s expectations about what Hertz is able to offer. He added that more people were being tempted to visit Oman as they learn about the regions natural beauty.
Tags: car hire, Hertz, Hertz Collection, Hertz Prestige, Oman Air, rental reservations, Sinbad Frequent Flyer
Posted in Car Rental News | Comments Off
Wednesday, May 26th, 2010
A Sunderland man, campaigning against the city’s controlled parking zone, and asking that 39 penalty charge notices against him be ruled unenforceable, is considering taking his case to the Court of Appeals after a High Court judge ruled it devoid of merit.
Neil Herron claims that Sunderland’s restricted zone is far too large and complicated for motorists to understand. He argues that unless every part of the road within the zone is clearly marked with paint, indicating what is or is not allowed, the whole area becomes ineffective.
Mr Justice Bean did not agree. He said that the wording of the regulation did not have to be stuck to so rigidly as to produce an absurd result. Mr Herron said that the court’s decision would mean that local authorities would be able to continue making money out of motorists who are confused by the complicated rules.
Head of transport policy at the AA, Paul Watters, said that councils across the country needed to provide more clarity to motorists when implementing new parking restrictions. Sunderland City Council’s executive director of city services, Ron Odunaiya, said that the courts ruling proved that the controlled parking zone in Sunderland was lawful. He added that the City Council believed its controlled parking policy to be firm and fair.
Mr Herron has already spent £100,000 campaigning to improve the position of the country’s motorists who he says are being treated like they are second class citizens. His latest campaign is likely to set him back a further £20,000 in court costs.
Tags: AA, Court of Appeals, High Court, motorists, parking zone, restricted zone, Sunderland City Council
Posted in UK News | Comments Off
