Category: Top » Culture-and-society »

Car Hire; A History Of Convenient Travel

Car hire companies can be traced back to almost the dawn of the motor industry itself. The first hire company is believed to have been started almost a century ago, renting Model T Fords to passing salesmen. One of the more romantic notions is that the first record of a hire car being used was by a salesman to take a local girl out for the evening, whether this is true is debatable. What is more certain is that the first proprietor of a hire company solely renting cars was Joe Saunders.

Today car hire is one of the largest industries in the world, generating millions in revenue every year. In the beginning companies realised the benefits of advertising their services as the chance to gain freedom, a way to travel the open road and a method of escaping the hustle and bustle of the cities.

It was this point onwards that the hire industry aligned itself with the travel industry. That said, the industry as a whole has retained its business focus also. Typically whether renting for business or pleasure, a car hire desk is never too far away.

From the nineteen sixties onwards the car hire industry started to place outlets in airports as a way to generate extra income from air passengers. The thinking was sound, for many travellers getting out of the airport and into their onward journey is a high priority; car hire firms were simply there to fill a niche in the market. Ultimately by doing this travellers reduce not only stress but the time spent journeying as well.

Within the UK car hire did not take off as quickly as in the USA. This however is changing with the industry feeling the benefits of a dilapidated and poorly managed public transport system. For example a train journey up the country is now so expensive that if there are more than three of you it would probably work out cheaper to hire a car.

Business representatives have, for a long time been the bread and butter for car hire companies. These are the people who spend the majority of their lives travelling and hence realise, more than anyone the importance of getting to a destination quickly, without the inconvenience of public transport delays and high travelling prices. Understandably this loyalty is rewarded with many car hire companies offering discounts and preferential service to these high volume users.

Car hire companies have also been there at the explosion of the package holiday. This was vitally important as beforehand companies were suffering as unlike the time when Saunders started his firm, the majority of the public now had cars. Hence by offering hire packages with holidays the international nature of car rental firms we have today was created.

Where does the car hire industry go from here? Seemingly they have encroached upon the majority of the travel industry and have cornered the market for business customers. The next logical step for the more forward thinking companies will be to incorporate more environmentally friendly cars into their fleets. This should allow them to capture the ecotourism market as well as many others.

Having said that, whether customers are truly willing to pay the extra for a greener car is not yet proven, ultimately more market research is needed. Ultimately if rental companies can continue to provide their customers with a good service and affordable pricing they should succeed in the future.

Seed Newsvine

Rating: Not yet rated --Choose-- 0 1 2 3 4 5

Comments

No comments posted.

Add Comment

Your Name:


Your Email:


Comment

Enter the code shown

Popular Articles in this cathegory

1: Characteristics of The Perfect Fake Doctor's Note Template
2: The Secret Adult Industry Of Singapore
3: How Students Use Fake Doctor's Notes For School
4: Famous Bridal Gowns in Movies
5: Labor Day Fun Facts And Stats