National
National has introduced the Toyota Prius to its UK fleet of cars. The cars will initially be available to National’s corporate customers in and around London.
National has also launched a scheme that involves storing motorised scooters in the boot of hire cars so that when a vehicle is delivered to a client, the National employees can return to the office on the scooter rather than use a second vehicle.
The scheme is being piloted in 23 UK locations, with plans for further expansion later this year.
- Read Travel Weekly’s Toyota Prius road test
Avis
Avis said emissions from its 18,500-strong rental fleet of cars have fallen 4% between 2005 and 2007. The reduction has been achieved by working with manufacturers to add more lower-emission vehicles to its fleet, as well as increasing the number of diesel cars.
Budget Rent-a-Car
Budget has being trialing the use of Honda Civic hybrid vehicles at its base in Edinburgh airport. As part of a promotional offer, clients who book a group B car are offered a free upgrade to one of the environmentally friendly cars.
Budget head of marketing and e-commerce Andy Lewis said customer uptake of the hybrid cars had been so high that they will remain in the fleet for next year. However, Lewis said they would have to decide if they were commercially viable for long-term use.