It's All About the Extras
Elizabeth Olson, The New York Times, 10/30/2007
When Kathryn C. Sattler, a new-products manager for Anheuser-Busch in St. Louis, visited distributors with two colleagues in August, she hit countless toll roads driving through several states in the Northeast in a rental car. But because they had also rented an electronic tag, they sailed through the tollbooths like locals.
"We hit at least a dozen tolls, plus bridges, often during busy hours," Ms. Sattler said, "but using E-ZPass probably saved us at least 10 minutes per toll."
Business travelers often complain about time wasted on the road. In recent years, car rental companies have responded by offering an array of devices — for extra fees, of course — to help customers navigate unfamiliar roads and tollbooths and work around other delays. Some are even offering licensed chauffeurs.
Avis surveyed 6,300 of its customers in May and found that on a typical three-day business trip, customers said they had lost about an hour a day because of traffic, delays at tollbooths or unfamiliar routes.
"A lot of time can be lost on the road," said Caleb Tiller, a spokesman for the National Business Travel Association, a group that has 2,500 travel managers and providers as members. "It's a real issue for companies."
Among other extras, car rental companies have added electronic payments for highway, bridge and tunnel tolls. Avis and Budget offer a connection to E-ZPass, the automatic toll payment system accepted at many tollbooths from Maine to Virginia. Hertz uses the PlatePass system, which can also be used in E-ZPass lanes. Avis and Budget also offer electronic toll collection devices for Illinois and Indiana and will add Ohio by the end of next year. Hertz offers it in Houston as does Dollar and Thrifty, which calls its system Pass24.
Daily costs to rent the devices can vary from $1.50 at Avis to $2.50 at Hertz, on top of the cost of the tolls. Customers say the rental charges are well worth the time saved.
"We were high-fiving each other every time we sailed through the lines on a recent trip," Ms. Sattler of Anheuser-Busch said.
When it came time to submit her trip expenses, she said she obtained her itemized toll charges on htallc.com, the site of the Highway Toll Administration, a privately run company that administers the service for rental agencies.
Rental agencies have turned to such extras after the success of Global Positioning Systems, which are still the most popular features on rentals.
As an independent auto rental consultant, Neil Abrams likes to try out every feature that comes along. So in July, he added G.P.S. to his car rental on a business trip to Nashville, a city he has visited before but does not know well.
"I had five stops, plus getting to and from the airport, all in a day," he said. "I would still be finding my way if it hadn't been for the G.P.S. It saved me hours and, importantly, stress."
For his trip to Nashville, Mr. Abrams rented Hertz's system, called NeverLost, for $9.95 a day. Most rental companies charge $8.95 to $12 for a daily G.P.S. rental; many also offer weekly rates.
Another popular feature of G.P.S. systems, including one Hertz introduced last year, is preprogrammed hotels, gas stations and restaurants. The Avis version, Where2, provides real-time traffic alerts and Bluetooth connectivity. Most also can recalculate routes when a driver makes a wrong turn.
HCA, based in Nashville, is one company that now reimburses employees for the cost of G.P.S. rentals, said Lynn Brunner, the company's travel manager.
"About one-third of our 5,000 employees travel every week, and we want them to feel safer on the road," she said.
But not everyone is enamored. Christopher Neidre, who works in business development for Seacoast Science, a maker of explosives-detecting sensors in San Diego, said the G.P.S. did not work well in his rental while he was on a trip to the East Coast in August.
"The software had not been updated, so it wasn't useful in places in Virginia," he said. "Then in Washington, it couldn't get the signal in underground parking or under an overhang."
Unless the most recent maps are downloaded, drivers can find themselves adrift when they encounter construction. Another downside, too, is that car companies can charge a hefty fee if a device is missing at the end of the rental — as much as $800 at some companies.
But Mr. Abrams and others who use the devices say that G.P.S. systems are great time-savers. And companies are jostling to claim that their G.P.S. version is better than their rival's.
Rental companies will not disclose rental figures for competitive reasons, but Cathy Schetzina, research director at the travel research company PhoCus- Wright, said that "in our round of calls with the car rental companies this summer, they were struggling to meet customer demand for G.P.S."
Avis also offers chauffeur driving, which is run by WeDriveU. The service costs $30 a hour, has a 15 percent service charge and must be used for a minimum of three hours. Customers can be ferried by a professional and drive themselves at other times, said WeDriveU's chief executive, Dennis Carlson.
Then there is Avis Connect, a device that provides wireless Internet access.
Portable Wi-Fi, which Avis introduced in June, connects to a cellular network and costs $10.95 a day. It can be plugged into the car's cigarette lighter or into any outlet in buildings, said Michael J. Caron, vice president for product and program development at Avis Budget Group (Avis owns Budget).
"It's great if you can't get your laptop working in the hotel room," he said, "or you don't want to find a Starbucks."
