Posts Tagged ‘rental car’

Discover The World Marketing teams up with Hertz in India

Thursday, December 3rd, 2009

Discover The World Marketing (DTWM) has announced that it will be looking after the itineraries of Hertz Rent A Car customers travelling to India for a self drive holiday. DTWM already looks after the Hertz self drive itineraries in a number of countries including South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, the U.S. and Switzerland.

Country Director- India DTWM, Mark Mendes says that they will be providing customers with two types of service. One will be a complete itinerary for drivers including hotels in which to stay and the other will be a less formal suggestion of routes customers would most enjoy driving. He says that it is not the intention of DTWM simply to supply customers with a rental car but rather to provide a concept. He points out that many self drivers are still looking for an adventure when they go on holiday and that is what DTWM wishes to provide.

As well as providing customers with exciting itineraries DTWM intends to offer defensive driving courses so that drivers can familiarize themselves with the different rules of driving around the world. In India the course will be in association with the Automobile Association of India and will take place over a few days for the basic course running up to fifteen days for the more advanced course. Mendes says that it is extremely important for drivers to get some experience in driving defensively especially when they are driving on the opposite side of the road than they are used to.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Car Rental News | No Comments »

Car rental crash cousins face extradition for manslaughter

Thursday, November 12th, 2009

Two men from Essex are facing extradition to the Island of Cyprus after their latest attempt to avoid serving time on the island has failed. Twenty-five-year-old Luke Atkinson and twenty-four-year-old Michael Binnington are cousins and both are facing the possibility of returning to Cypress to carry out jail sentences of three years each. The pair were involved in a crash that killed a moped rider whilst on holiday in 2006. Mr. Atkinson’s uncle, Julian Harrington was driving the rental car which killed the teenager when it hit his moped. He has already pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm and manslaughter is currently serving a fifteen-year sentence on the Isle of Wight.

The cousins had originally been acquitted of the manslaughter charges after spending six months in prison on the island and were allowed to fly back to the U.K. However the Cyprus Supreme Court has since decided to overturn the decision and is appealing to have the pair return to Cyprus to carry out three-year sentences for manslaughter.

A U.K. judge has denied the cousin’s appeal and it is thought that the pair will be sent to Cypress within a few days. The pair’s lawyer, Karen Todner said that it was outrageous that anyone could have an acquittal overturned in such a manner and be ordered to serve a prison sentence.

Mr. Atkinson’s mother said that they planned to appeal to the European Court. MEP Richard Howitt has spoken out on the cousin’s behalf by saying that in his opinion there has been a miscarriage of justice. He said that European law was in place to protect both victims and defendants and that in this instance that does not appear to have been the case.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Car Rental News | No Comments »

Europcar tells of strange items left behind

Tuesday, September 8th, 2009

A recent survey by Europcar has revealed that customers leave behind some pretty strange things, including furry handcuffs, a wheelchair, half a pint of lager, a false leg and a CD guide to speed seduction.

But it is expected that the occasional item would be left behind, given the size of Europcar which leases thousands of cars each day.

The survey revealed that the most common items found in returned rental vehicles were usually keys and mobile phones, but some of the rarer finds include a bagpiper’s black ostrich feather hat, a mannequin and even 4 dozen light bulbs.

Along with the bizarre missing items are the strange excuses customers come up with when faced with the prospect of paying for the damage on a hired car.   Some of the excuses are legitimate but downright unlucky, others border on absurdity.

One man had claimed that a horse leaned on the back of the car causing damage, whilst another said that a lion had attacked and damaged his bumper whilst visiting the Longleat Safari Park.  Another case includes a man who drove into the back of a woman’s rental car in Derbyshire, who said that he dropped his ice-cream, which led to the accident.

A spokesperson for Europcar says that there is never a dull day in the world of car rentals, and have gone to great lengths to return lost and missing items left behind in rental cars.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Travel News | No Comments »

Plenty of rental cars still available in Madrid, Barcelona

Friday, August 28th, 2009

Despite widespread media coverage of car hire shortages affecting Spain, Madrid and Barcelona are still revealing strong numbers of bookings.

Although there has been a 10% drop in tourists to the Iberian Peninsula and car hire shortages in popular resort areas, the two major cities and Alicante have reported strong forecasts for the immediate future.

The financial crisis and lack of consumer spending power has resulted in a stronger position for internet search and compare sites to find their best car hire options.

As June saw supply fall short of demand across the country, with many customers left stranded without car hire, the following months paint a brighter picture for Spanish car hire companies.  The prior months had seen the tourist industry cut back on resources and car hire firms adjusting their capacity to cope with the anticipated decline in holidaymakers.

Travellers, however, are being much more careful when choosing their car hire, with many opting to use comparative sites to select their rental vehicle.

Car hire in Barcelona and Madrid are currently still available despite the number of tourists, as local operators expect positive results by the end of the summer tourist season.

With thanks to www.pr-inside.com for the above information. For more details please refer to their website.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Travel News | No Comments »

Europcar to show green ratings

Wednesday, August 19th, 2009

UK car rental giant, Europcar, will now provide “green” minded customers the opportunity to research  their rental car’s emission ratings by visiting a new feature on the company’s website.

The website feature will allow customers to find out information such as vehicle emission ratings and fuel efficiency, as petrol prices climb and driving across the UK becomes more expensive.

The website says economy sized three door hatchbacks are the most economical cars to hire, and more likely to have the lowest emissions ratings with an estimate of 130 grams. Models available include the Ford Ka, which is a fuel efficient, ‘green’ option when renting a car, whereas larger, more expensive models available for hire such as Volvo and Saab have a higher carbon emissions rating and also receive less mileage on fuel efficiency.

Catriona Lougher, marketing director for Europcar said: “With cost cutting at the top of the Agenda for many UK households and businesses, using cars that are more fuel efficient has got to be a key priority. This initiative is in keeping with Europcar’s Environmental Charter and means our customers can make more informed choices about the vehicles they rent and, as a result, help them reduce fuel consumption and contribute to an overall reduction in CO2 emissions.”

Thanks to Europcar for the above quotes.  For more information visit their website.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Travel News | No Comments »

Surge in late bookings increase car hire costs

Monday, August 17th, 2009

Last-minute holidaymakers are pushing up the price for rental cars this summer, mostly in Spain and Portugal.

The price increase is primarily due to a shortfall in fleets, as companies have not been able to obtain credit to buy new cars this season, and due to a forecasted drop in demand.

The situation has forced some tourists to cancel their holiday plans rather than go ahead with plans without car hire.

“Every summer there is a seasonal shortage of rental cars,” Michael Taride, President of Hertz Europe, told Sky News.

“We are buying additional fleet and keeping and maintaining cars for a longer period of time to accommodate the increase in demand.”

Span has been worst affected by the crisis with some holidaymakers paying twice the amount to higher a car compared to the same period last year.

Italy, France and parts of the UK are also experiencing car hire difficulties.

£365 is the cheapest weekly car rental in the Spanish resort of Malaga, and a small van such as the Volkswagen Touran will be about£850 per week.

Back in May we announced that demand was down so we would reduce our fleets to give us more flexibility,” Avis spokeswoman Hilary White said.

Car hire companies predicted a slowdown in demand due to the recession and had chosen not to upgrade cars or fleets.

Thanks to Sky News for the above quotes.  For more information on this article visit skynews.com

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Travel News | No Comments »

Court orders Dubai car rental company to return passport

Thursday, August 13th, 2009

A man who allegedly incurred over $1000 in traffic violations in Dubai has finally had his passport returned to him from a car hire company.

A court has ruled in favour of businessman deeming the passport as personal property and a necessary means of identification.

The 45-year-old Ibrahim Ahmed claimed the car hire company would not give back his passport after he allegedly accumulated over $1000 in fines while renting a car in Dubai from June 2008 until May this year.

Ahmed refused to pay the fees for the rental car but did not pay the fines that he incurred on the vehicle, as he did not believe he committed any traffic offences whilst driving the vehicle.  This led to the rental car company withholding the passport.

Car rental companies commonly keep customer’s passports as a bond, as it is believed that a credit card number could be easily cancelled.

Two court hearings followed, which both ruled in favour of Mr Ahmed, with Muraqqabat police ordered to obtain the passport from the car hire company and return it to the man.

Quotes from khaleejtimes.com.  For more information visit their website.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Travel News | No Comments »

US Automakers continue to lose share in car rental market

Monday, July 27th, 2009

In more bad news for U.S. car makers, rental car companies in the United States have begun to purchase more foreign than domestic vehicles for their fleets.  In the first six months of this year, rental companies only purchased 48.8 percent of vehicles from American suppliers.

The news was announced by the trade publication Automotive Fleet, and it shows that market share is down from a two-thirds market position only a year ago.  The news is even worse if compared with statistics from three years ago, when up to 8 out of 10 vehicles bought were domestic.

Domestic automakers have traditionally used the rental market as a way to rid itself of vehicle overstock, by providing deep discounts to rental agencies.  In fact, until recently, rental companies such as Avis, Hertz, and Dollar Thrifty were owned by U.S. car manufacturers.  In recent years domestic manufactures have spun off the rental car business to independent agents, slashing the hefty discounts once provided.    Auto Rental News editor Chris Brown states, “Automakers are now trying to sell to rental fleets like they do to the overall market,” but this tactic has lead to higher prices for domestic cars. But as the landscape of the U.S. car market changes rental agencies are following the trend.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Travel News | No Comments »

More people taking self drive holidays in Iceland

Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009

More and more Brits are taking advantage of the favorable exchange rate with Iceland and are scheduling self drive tours of the country. It’s the perfect time to hire a car since the price of petrol is cheaper in Iceland and car rental rates are down as well.

Ever since Iceland was picked by the post office as the Best Value Holiday Destination, it has seen a marked increase in British holidaymakers.  As a result of the recent surge in popularity, Iceland’s airlines will offer more flights to and from the UK in September.

The flight only takes three hours from London to Reykjavik and there are also fights in and out of Manchester as well. As fall approaches flights well begin from Glasgow.

Eli Masson, of Iceland Pro Travel, said: “We recommend to our clients that they go to Iceland this summer and autumn because of the favourable exchange rate. On our self drive tours we find that all our clients this summer have over budgeted their spending money. One pound will get you 209 krona now, but 18 months ago you would only get 130.

Iceland, Hungary, and Poland all have favorable exchange rates for British tourists.

Most of the tourism is centered in Reykjavik especially since there is a marathon there every August, but Iceland Pro Travel recommends that more people explore the car rental option in order to fully appreciate the entire country while driving around at one’s own pace.

Thanks to www.webwire.com for the above quote. For more information visit their web site.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Travel News | No Comments »