Customers seek smaller rental cars - Augusta Chronicle
May 23, 2008 - Posted in Agency, Car Rental, Cheap travel, Travel business, Vacation packages, Vacations, Videos
Lewis Johnson rents a midsize car three to four times a month.
As the regional manager for OfficeMax, he uses rental cars to make business treks to Atlanta; Charlotte, N.C.; and Savannah, Ga.
“It’s cheaper to rent a small automobile than drive your own personal vehicle considering today’s gas prices,” Mr. Johnson said.
Small to midsize cars are harder to come by at local car rental companies.
“We have more people requesting smaller vehicles. At this time, we don’t have quite as many in our fleet,” said Shannon Hobbs, a rental agent at Economy Rent-A-Car on Washington Road.
The business often runs out of smaller vehicles, such as the Mazda 3. Customers don’t want trucks or sport utility vehicles, she said.
Business travelers often rent compact cars because they have a travel budget, said Ned Maniscalco, a corporate spokesman for Enterprise Rent-A-Car.
Although Mr. Johnson drives an SUV in town, renting a car for business travel saves gas money for OfficeMax, he said.
State agencies, such as the Medical College of Georgia and Augusta State University, have a statewide contract with rental car companies to rent small to midsize cars.
“The state provides mileage reimbursement if you drive your personal car, but there’s a test to make sure you’re using the most reasonable cost option,” said Dan Whitfield, ASU’s vice president for business operations. “Normally, the advantage would be with renting.”
Enterprise has about 1.1 million cars nationwide. Of these, 440,000 average 28 miles per gallon or more, he said.
The company’s fleet ultimately depends on what manufacturers send them.
“The manufacturers have made it pretty clear: They’re probably going to be focusing on smaller, more fuel-efficient cars,” Mr. Maniscalco said. “If customers continue to request those cars, our fleet will probably evolve in that direction.”
Families going on vacation or business professionals traveling in groups, however, might request a larger car for extra room.
Dave Parmar, the manager of On-Car Rental Sales in Martinez, said he hasn’t seen a change.
“People still drive the same. Sometimes people still ask to rent SUVs,” he said.
Customers want to save money, but they still want comfort, Mr. Maniscalco said.
“Overall, while many of our customers want more fuel-efficient cars, we’re still seeing steady demand for larger cars,” he said.
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