Bending the Third Rail
Because We Should, We Can, We Do
Monday, May 29, 2006
Rental
This story showed up in my local newspaper today:
As the summer travel season shifts into high gear, the car rental business is counting on a new breed of customers to bolster its bottom line.

They're frequent renters, local customers who have their own vehicles but rent cars for convenience.

Such consumers are driving expansion of neighborhood auto rental centers, which now account for over half of the industry's nearly $19 billion annual U.S. revenue.

For the first time, more people are renting from neighborhood centers than from airport counters.
My wife and I are currently in the market for a new car. This is an option we are seriously considering ... buy a small around-town car and then rent a larger vehicle for trips. Looks like we're not alone. It really makes sense. Who needs all the extra weight and size for a trip to the grocery store to buy a loaf of bread?