We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the Business Car website. However, if you would like to, you can change your cookies at any time
The start point for the best source of fleet information |
The 2012 Olympics could create strong demand for rental vehicles outside the London area as attendees attempt to avoid crowds at the capital's main airports.
That's the view of senior management at rental firm Enterprise, who have been teeing-up their plans for the event.
Director of business development, Rob Ingram, told BusinessCar: We've had experience of Olympics in other cities in America - Atlanta etc. - so we've learned from that.
"We've gone to B2B customers and asked them what they need - some of them want less vehicles. There's a lot of things going on today at the front end and the back end of the Olympics and potentially more demand up and down the country."
A lack of vehicle parking at the East London Olympic site along with expectations of heavy congestion and chaotic road networking could be problematic for the rental industry.
Don Moore, vice president of sales at Enterprise, said: "We're being very cautious. You'll lose some customers regarding the typical tourist because some people won't want to come on holiday here while the Olympics are on.
"Airports in other parts of the country will be busy at the same time as well, as it's going to be a lot easier to fly into other [non-London] airports."
The company intends to gauge demand in the run-up to the games and adjust the size of its fleet as it deems necessary.
Moore continued: "Because we own the majority of our vehicles, we have the flexibility to be nimble - if we don't need them we can sell them. If we want more cars we can just stop selling them for a bit."
Moore also addressed the issue of rising insurance costs within the rental sector and claimed that one of the biggest factors was the time it takes for some companies to report claims: "Fleets can drive down the costs by taking less trips, car sharing etc.
"It's amazing how long it takes for some companies to report a claim, which really drives up costs. Speed of notification makes it cheaper."
BusinessCar magazine ©2019
Business Car Magazine © 2020 | Business Car is part of NS Media Group.
