In the US, hourly car rental and green driving is the new battle ground for car hire

In the depths of the credit crunch, more and more car hire companies are renting their cars by the hour. In major cities in the US, this is something car hire companies are trying to cash in on. A technique that would probably help James Bond, as he can wreck the car and forget about it within 60 mins, here we have a look at the options available.

Hourly renting proves to be more profitable for car hire suppliers, and also brings benefits such as cutting the amount of traffic in cities, and allowing more environmentally friendly methods of transportation to be used. It also brings a number of benefits to customers, such as insurance coverage and the cost of fuel being included in the hourly rates. Car-sharing services also mean that people involved in the scheme do not need to own their own car.

Zipcar are ahead in the green and hiring game

One of the leading suppliers in the carsharing business is Zipcar, founded in 1999. Zipcar provides its customers with a range of carsharing services. Customers have access to a self-service car, which they hire via the web or by phone. They are able to hire the car for an hour or so and, only need to pay for the time they use the car. With each reservation, Zipcar provides a petrol card for the vehicle, driver’s insurance and treatments for the car such as window wiper refills and carwashes. They also receive a computer-coded Zipcard, which they can use to unlock the car and can drive anytime they need.

Zipcar’s services are available all over the world. The company, which has partnered with a number of Universities, provides car sharing services for students and other customers wishing to opt for a greener and cheaper method of transportation. Their hourly rates are low, usually about £5 an hour. The company also offer memberships for their customers, a car rental clubcard if you like, allowing them to quickly reserve a car and use it in any city covered by Zipcar.

Some rental companies are concentrating on car sharing

Recognising this as an avenue, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, founded in 1957, introduced hourly car rentals in 2005 in a few of the company’s Chicago offices. The service was part of Enterprise’s environmental platform program, and the company’s aim was to reduce the amount of vehicles on the road to help the environment. Even though Zipcar is one of the main car-sharing companies, Enterprise has had some success with its service, expanding it to more than 200 locations in Chicago and also other areas such as Washington DC and New York. The company is also working to introduce other green tasks, such as using recycled paper for customers’ contracts. In addition to its environmental platform program, Enterprise has also introduced a new program called WeCar. WeCar is an environmentally friendly carsharing service, which was introduced in St Louis in 2007. With this program, the company aims to reduce the risk of vehicle congestion and also makes their service suitable for downtown workers. The service has since expanded and is now used at Washington University.

Give the consumer what they want - green cars

Hertz, another car rental company, has also introduced hourly rentals to their customers. Their service was launched in Boston last year and is also now available at a number of locations in Manhattan. The company felt that the service would be more profitable, since the majority of customers in Manhattan did not own a car. Hertz also recently launched their Green Collection, which consists of a variety of environmentally friendly vehicles available to rent, particularly suited to small groups and families. The company offers hourly rentals for around $12-15 when customers rent one of their vehicles from the Green Collection. Included in Hertz’s hourly rental service are unlimited mileage (that almost seems a challenge for one day) and the cost of refuelling the car. With this, they can attract casual drivers who may need a car on and off, but can’t justify the cost of owning and running a car on a day-to-day basis. The company has also offered a free membership for their Hertz #1 Gold Club for customers who use the hourly rental service. Also offered with the service are a number of extras, such as extra drivers and child seats.

Car-sharing. Your passenger doesn’t even have to be human

Some car rental companies, such as Avis, have not yet launched hourly rentals. Budget, which is part of Avis, has also yet to launch this service, which means less competition for Zipcar, Enterprise, and Hertz. Although Hertz offers a number of extras with its hourly rental service, the company’s hourly rates are still higher than Zipcar’s. Hertz has also yet to expand its hourly rental service and the fact that Zipcar has been around for longer is also a disadvantage as it means the company will be struggling to compete with Zipcar’s success.

Zipcar appears to offer a completely hassle free service, as customers simply apply online, reserve the vehicle, use their Zipcard, and drive. It is also has a fleet of 5,000 cars and is the largest carsharing company in the world. Zipcar has thousands of members who have paid for their membership. Hertz hopes that their free membership will draw people to their service, but Zipcar’s lower rates are likely to attract more people. Zipcar is also tough to compete with due to the fact that they offer more pickup locations in New York. In total, they offer 105 pickup locations in New York, whereas Hertz only offers three and Enterprise only offers eight.

Zipcar’s low hourly rates even beat the hourly rates that All Car Rent A Car has to offer. All Car Rent A Car, who has been in business for thirty years, charges $12 for their weekday hourly rentals. Zipcar also beats the company with their weekend hourly rates, as All Car Rent A Car does not offer weekend hourly rentals. Zipcar also remains on top with the number of pickup locations that it offers. With its efficient Zipcard service, coverage of petrol in its hourly rates, and the offer of weekday and weekend hourly rentals, Zipcar remains one of the top car-sharing businesses in the world.

Zipcar are the industry leaders

Have you ever used a green car company or rented by the hour? Let us know what you thought of them and if you had any problems, for instance, not being able to find the car, it wasn’t right for your needs….