usrentacar.co.uk ® Car Hire USA Blog

Hi all,

They may not be as popular as google, but over at Bing they do like to innovate. I was searching for some detailed airport maps for the USA and came across these excellent images.

Hi all,

Today usrentacar.co.uk helped to save a child’s life in conjunction with unicef and their great new, own a colour campaign.

About own a colour

Did you know the average computer, smartphone and tablet can display 16.7 million colours?

That’s a lot of colours!

So we want to name each and every one of these colours for at least £1 to raise money for the children’s charity UNICEF.

All the money raised will go directly to help transform children’s lives, why not pick a colour for yourself or do it as a gift for someone you know.

What we bought

Our colour – usrentacar.co.uk red

Why? – Its our company colour.

Describe in one word – Hot!

To purchase your own colour please visit http://www.ownacolour.com/#e60203 and let us know what colour you picked and why.

regards,

James

Hi all,

Allstate released its yearly safest drivers report today, this is the 7th year that the insurance company has released information regarding their drivers.

The report ranks America’s 200 largest cities in terms of car collision frequency to identify which cities have the safest drivers, according to Allstate claim data.

This year’s top honor of “America’s Safest Driving City” is Fort Collins, Colo., the second year in the row for the city at the top spot. According to the report, the average driver in Fort Collins will experience an auto collision every 14 years, which is 28.6 percent less likely than the national average of 10 years.

Fort Collins official stated

“For the second year in a row, we’ve earned the title of the safest driving city in America due to the responsible behavior and safe driving habits of our residents,” said Fort Collins Mayor Karen Weitkunat. “Safety is a critical component to creating a world-class city; we have our residents to thank as they are undoubtedly the reason Fort Collins is one of the best places to live, work, and play. I’m honored to be a part of a community that is consistently recognized as one of the nation’s best.”

Top 10 Safest Cities

Average Years Between Collisions
1. Fort Collins, Colo. 14.0
2. Boise, Idaho 13.4
3. Lincoln, Neb. 12.9
4. Chandler, Ariz. 12.6
5. Huntsville, Ala. 12.3
6. Knoxville, Tenn. 12.2
7. Springfield, Mo. 12.2
8. Reno, Nev. 12.0
9. Eugene, Ore. 11.9
10. Chattanooga, Tenn. 11.9

Have you driven in any of the Cities listed in the top 10?

regards,

James,

Hi all,

Back on the 9th August I posted regarding Miami International Airports plans to speed up your Florida Car Hire by introducing a “Mover”.

Well the “Mover” is now up and running and has been since the 09/09/11. One of the idea’s behind the Mover was to cut the amount of shuttle bus runs being made, an estimated 1400 runs were being made per day! The mover in contrast can deliver 3000 passengers per hour which has helped Miami International Airport decrease its carbon emission’s by 30%.

The Miami Mover has a top speed of 40 mph and can be found by taking the lifts to Miami International’s  third level moving walkway, which connects you to the Miami Mover.

Have you used the Miami Mover yet, what did you think?

regards,

James

Hi all,

Following on from Scott Thompson’s letter to Budget and Thrifty sent late August, Dollar Thrifty this week sent out letters detailing the deadline they expect all formal offers to be submitted by.

The letter states

Final offers for Dollar Thrifty are due no later than 5 p.m. EST Oct. 10

The board of directors of the company will meet to review your offer, Based upon your offer, the board will decide whether to have further discussions between you and the company regarding a potential transaction.

“The company reserves the right in its sole discretion to evaluate the terms and conditions of your offer, to enter into or terminate any negotiations or agreements with any potential purchaser or purchasers at any time and to reject any or all offers from potential purchasers for any reason whatsoever.”

An interesting part of the letter asks potential buyers to list the following within their proposal

Retention of staff clearly favours Budget Rent A Car who already have a large presence in Tulsa however the regulator terms possibly suit Hertz who have already stated they would look to sell Advantage Rent A Car to complete the deal.

Hopefully all looks positive that we will finally get some closure this year.

Kind regards,

James

Hi all,

Came across an interesting article in the Los Angeles Times this weekend regarding vehicle theft in the USA, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the Cadillac Escalade, a luxury sports utility, is six times more likely to be stolen than the average vehicle.

Pickups also are a favorite of thieves, the trade group said. The Ford F-250 crew cab 4-wheel-drive comes in second to the Escalade for the most theft claims and other trucks also ranked high on the list.

Top 10

• Cadillac Escalade (4 versions)
• Ford F-250 crew 4WD
• Chevrolet Silverado 1500 crew
• Ford F-450 crew 4WD
• GMC Sierra 1500 crew
• Chrysler 300
• Ford F-350 crew 4WD
• Chevrolet Avalanche 1500
• GMC Yukon
• Chrysler 300 HEMI

The vehicles that are least likely to be stolen in the USA are.

• Audi A6 4WD
• Mercury Mariner (2009-10)
• Chevrolet Equinox (2010)
• Volkswagen CC (2009-10)
• Chevrolet Equinox 4WD (2010)
• Lexus RX 350 (2010)
• Saturn VUE
• Chevrolet Aveo (2009-10)
• BMW 5 series 4WD
• Mini Cooper Clubman

Wonder if this will have any impact on the vehicle you decide to hire?

regards,

James

Hi all,

Not a subject I generally talk about but tax alterations in the USA due to hit may have an effect on your car rental in 2012.

Why? I hear you all cry… well get comfy and I’ll attempt to tell you.

In September 2010 the U.S. government introduced something called bonus depreciation.

Bonus depreciation, was one of the U.S. governments idea’s on ways to kick start the economy, for car rental firms it meant that companies could write off the entire cost of a new car in the tax year it was purchased. The advantage of this resulted in that USA car hire suppliers have been paying little to no tax during that time.

However in 2012 the bonus depreciation decreases to 50% and in 2013 0%. Which means that car rental companies who have not planned ahead could possibly see a cash flow issue on the horizon due to surprising tax bills and also will get a double whammy of taxes, firstly when they purchase the vehicle and secondly when they sell it on.

What does this mean?

In my opinion this could mean one of two things. Firstly car rental companies could increase basic costs of car hire, especially for pay upon arrival car rental, to make up for the additional tax implications.

Secondly, could we see suppliers holding on to the vehicles for slightly longer than the average 6 month period, getting extra revenue from the car to help with cash flow and the additional taxation?

The advantage of booking with usrentacar.co.uk is that you prepay your hire costs, and once booked and confirmed these prices will never increase. Those hiring or upgrading locally might be in for a nasty surprise in 2012.

Kind regards,

James

Hi all,

Last week Dollar Thrifty sent a letter to both Hertz and Avis Budget asking them to reply with their best and final offers to purchase the Car Hire USA company.

I’ve managed to see a copy of this letter which I have posted below

August 21, 2011

Mr. Ronald L. Nelson

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Avis Budget Group,

Inc. 6 Sylvan Way Parsippany,

New Jersey

07054

Mr. Mark P. Frissora

Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer Hertz Global Holdings,

Inc. 225 Brae Boulevard Park Ridge,

New Jersey

07656

Dear Ron and Mark:

As you are aware, Dollar Thrifty has worked cooperatively with each of Avis Budget and Hertz for many months in an effort to obtain antitrust regulatory clearance for a possible business combination transaction. We understand that these efforts have been fruitful, and believe that each of Avis Budget and Hertz is well positioned to complete the regulatory process in a manner that would permit a combination to be completed with limited economic impact. We appreciate the efforts made by each of your companies as well as your continued interest in Dollar Thrifty.

In light of the regulatory progress that has been made, we believe that it is time to ascertain whether a transaction can be accomplished with Avis Budget, Hertz or another party on terms that our Board of Directors determines are in the best interests of Dollar Thrifty and its shareholders. Accordingly, our Board has determined that it will solicit best and final definitive proposals for submission in early October. Based on the results of this process, we will consider what actions would be in the best interests of Dollar Thrifty and its shareholders. While the details of our process will be furnished separately by our financial advisors in the coming days, I wanted to provide each of you with advance notice in order to give your companies ample preparatory time in which to complete your regulatory efforts. As you can appreciate, in view of the unprecedented opportunity that each of Avis Budget and Hertz has had to assess and mitigate in advance the antitrust regulatory risks of a transaction with Dollar Thrifty, any proposal that requires our shareholders to assume any portion of such risk is unlikely to be acceptable to our Board or shareholders.

Please do not hesitate to let me know if there are any questions.

Very truly yours,

DOLLAR THRIFTY AUTOMOTIVE GROUP, INC.

Scott L. Thompson
President and Chief Executive Officer

A very interesting letter I’m sure you’ll agree. On a positive note it does look like the end is near in this epic saga.

Who do you think will purchase Dollar Thrifty?

Kind regards,

James,

Hi all,

Hope you’re all enjoying your last bank holiday of the year.

Please note usrentacar.co.uk will be working weekend hours today.

Call centre open until – 13:00

Emails replied to until – 13:00

Website - Open 24hrs

Normal office hours will resume Tuesday.

Kind regards,

James

At present Budget Rent A Car haven’t released an official statement. I will update if we receive one.

If you require assistance please contact Budget on the number below

Budget general enquires: 001 800-214-6094

Or visit http://www.budget.com and select the ‘Locations’ option from the main menu at the top of the page – then search for your collection location. You will then be able to find the local number for your collection point.

Please note there is also an emergency number* displayed on your Voucher which we recommend you contact.

* Emergency number operated by GSA of Budget Rent A Car and not usrentacar.co.uk

usrentacar.co.uk can be contact in the usual ways http://usrentacar.co.uk/contact.aspx