Europcar Research Reveals Family Savings For Road Travel
Released
on: July 29, 2009, 7:11 am
Author: Dominic Dennis
Industry: Travel
According
to Europcar, the UK’s leading vehicle hire company, families
taking domestic holidays this summer should look at alternatives
to traditional rail travel this summer for value and convenience.
With rail fares going up by an average of 6%* this year combined
with planned engineering works at weekends on some routes throughout
July and August, Europcar is advising families to consider the
freedom and affordability of car hire as the ideal way to get
to their destination and explore the UK’s more inaccessible
countryside attractions and secluded beaches.
Catriona
Lougher, marketing director for Europcar, said: "We all want
to get our holiday off to a good start and while rail is a great
solution for many, the logistical issues of getting to and from
the station with children and suitcases in tow can make for a
fractious time. Weighed up with higher rail fares and the chance
that engineering works often means travel in replacement buses
– and car hire becomes
an increasingly attractive option. For example, a family of four
travelling from Bristol to Edinburgh could save around £600**
on the price of a train fare, by opting to get a family
car hire for the trip.
"Hiring
a vehicle for some journeys not only offers substantial savings
but the comfort, convenience and flexibility that rail travel
struggles to offer."
Europcar
offers customers free car
hire delivery and collection from most of its 200+ locations
across the UK through its weDeliver service ensuring a stress-free
start to the holidays. In addition, Europcar’s Airport Connect
service means holidaymakers can hire a vehicle from their local
branch and leave it at the airport and then pick it up again at
the end of their return flight. Airport Connect means travellers
can wave goodbye to hauling luggage across town and dealing with
train connections and stressful delays.
Europcar's
service also helps customers avoid train delays, hefty fare increases
and overcrowding. In addition, there are no worries over maintenance,
24 hour roadside assistance plus the fuel efficiencies of driving
a relatively new vehicle suited to the journey and number of passengers.
- Ends -
Notes to editors:
*Source: Association of Train Operating Companies (Atoc)
**Based on an open return rail fare, compared with a 7 day, pre-pay
hire of compact vehicle.
About
Europcar
Europcar is the European leader in passenger car and light utility
vehicle rentals. The company serves business and leisure customers
throughout Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and
the Asia-Pacific region. Since March 2007 with the acquisition
of Vanguard EMEA, its network comprises over 5,300 rental outlets
in 160 countries.
Excluding
franchise operations, in 2008 Europcar signed more than 10 million
rental contracts, with 8000 employees and a fleet exceeding 225,000
vehicles. In September 2008, Europcar and U.S. market leader Enterprise
Rent a Car joined forces in a strategic alliance to form the world's
largest car rental and network, with more than 1.2 million vehicles
and car
hire deals in 13,000 locations around the world.
The
Europcar fleet has an average CO2 of 158g/km compared to the average
UK car park which has 164.9 g/km CO2.
For further press information please contact:
Dominic Dennis
Churcham House
1 Bridgeman Road
Teddington
Middlesex
TW11 9AJ
020 8977 9132
www.europcar.co.uk