Hertz Expands European Car-Sharing Service

Hertz this week launched its car-sharing membership program in Berlin and Madrid, giving it four European cities where it operates the service designed for urban areas, college and corporate campuses.

The Connect by Hertz program, which charges a monthly or annual fee and hourly usage charges for up to 112.5 kilometers per day and provides access to shared vehicles around a city, also is available in London, Paris and several major U.S. cities, including Boston, Chicago and New York. There also is availability in Alberta, Canada, and at one dozen U.S. universities. Hertz plans to expand to more cities in Europe and the United States next year, according to Hertz manager of public affairs Paula Rivera.

"In a market that is expected to expand to 3 million customers across Europe in the next 10 years, today's launch demonstrates our long-term commitment to growing the global car-sharing business internationally," said Hertz senior vice president of global sales Robert Stuart in a statement.

According to Rivera, the fee and memberships structures in Europe are similar to those in the United States, but are subject to local regulations. Membership agreements are primarily done within the client's local employee office or residence and are reciprocal throughout the international network.

Car-sharing programs have been available in Europe for years, but until recently have been run by local providers or in partnership with public transportation providers.

While not the first major car rental company to launch such a program, Hertz, which implemented its car-sharing club in December 2008, has built the widest network. Enterprise Rent-A-Car in early 2007 launched its WeCar program in St. Louis, but since has expanded only to U.S. college campuses.

Pullach, Germany-based car rental provider Sixt AG in June 2008 launched the SIXTI Car Club in Berlin, where the car-sharing program has stayed.