October busiest month for business car rentals and other industry news — October 21

Sixt expands to Ecuador; Uber and Lyft transactions in US surpass those of taxis and car rentals combined; ACRE forms a partnership with Goodyear.

October busiest month for business car rentals

October is the busiest month for business car rentals in US and Europe, according to Hertz. In US alone it is expected that business travelers will drive estimated 114 million miles in rented vehicles.

The main reason for this is that most conferences and business meetings are scheduled after summer vacation and school start and before winter holiday season. Hertz has implemented additional bonus programs to rewards its business customers in US.

More: Hertz

Sixt expands to Ecuador

Sixt Rent A Car has opened its first location in Jose Joaquin de Olmedo International Airport in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Sixt brand has been present in the country before — Sixt Ecuador has been a family owned franchise of the corporation for almost 15 years.

In addition to the opening in Guayaquil, Sixt recently added new locations in Peru, Paraguay, and Uruguay in South America.

More: Sixt

Uber and Lyft surpass taxi and car rental transactions combined in US

Uber and Lyft made up more than half of total ground transportation transactions in US in Q3. This number is based on a sample of transactions processed by expense management supplier, Certify. In total the companies accounted to 52% of all transactions — Uber taking 48% and Lyft — 4%.

Taxis made up 12% of ground transportation transactions, down 2 percentage points from the previous quarter. Car rental suppliers’ share dropped 1 percentage point to 36%. However, it’s worth noting that one car rental transaction provides the traveler with multiple rides and could accumulate bigger revenue and profit for the provider.

More: BTN

ACRA forms a partnership with Goodyear providing discounts for members

American Car Rental Association has formed a partnership with Goodyear. All ACRA members can now purchase tyres from Goodyear at discount prices. Members of the association also get discounts on vehicle maintenance.

All ACRE members are automatically enrolled in the program and do not have to pay any extra fees to enjoy the benefits.

More: ACRA