Tag Archives: Europcar

Europcar Boosts 8-Seater Fleet To Avoid Driver CPC Requirement

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Europcar logoOn 10th September 2013, new rules came into effect in the UK for drivers of vehicles with nine or more passenger seats. Drivers are now required to hold a Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) if they are engaged in driving such vehicles for hire or reward or for other commercial purposes.

These new requirements affect the ability of charities and other organisations to use minibuses, as many of their drivers may be being paid (hence ‘hire and reward’) but may not hold a current CPC, which requires a minimum number of hours of professional development study each year and must be renewed every five years.

The CPC requirement does not apply to vehicles with eight or fewer passenger seats, and so Europcar has introduced a new vehicle group which is exempt from the CPC rules – comprising a range of vehicles that provide seating for a maximum of 8 passengers, including MPVs and small minibuses. Europcar does also offer a larger minibuses of up to 17 seats, for which a CPC is required, in a seperate vehicle group.

Ken McCall, Managing Director of Europcar UK Group, says that the firm’s objective is to help ensure its customers stay compliant with the CPC rules but are able to carry out their normal business without necessarily being dependent on CPC-qualified drivers:

“We know how important it is for public sector organisations and charities to be able to access vehicles to help people in their local communities”, explained Ken McCall, Managing Director, Europcar UK Group.  “We were very concerned that the new CPC regulations may limit these services if it wasn’t easy for our customers to select the right size vehicle, particularly where a driver may not have a CPC.

“Whilst we fully understand the objectives of the new CPC, there are a number of occasions when a smaller vehicle will suffice and will not, therefore, require the driver to comply with the new rules.”

Under the new rules, professional drivers including lorry and bus and coach drivers and minibus drivers, must hold a CPC, as well as their driving licence, which is renewable every 5 years. The CPC aims to improve the knowledge and skills of lorry, bus and coach drivers, to enhance road safety. For more information, visit the gov.uk Driver CPC website.

Europcar Signs Exclusive Five-Year Car & Van Hire Deal With ExCeL London

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europcar_logo_new-2013Europcar has secured an exclusive five-year deal to be the official mobility partner of ExCeL London, Europe’s premier venue, which has recently hosted high-profile events including the Olympics, Paralympics and the G20 summit.

The first partnership of its kind to create a mobility centre within an exhibition and conference venue, the new contract begins on 1st January 2014. Ken McCall, Managing Director of Europcar UK and David Pegler, CEO of ExCeL London will mark the launch of the strategic alliance at ExCeL on Monday 4th November at 11am.

Europcar will deliver a transport solution for the whole site, helping to differentiate ExCeL from other exhibition spaces by offering visitors, exhibitors and staff access to a wide range of car and van hire services, including valet parking, a chauffeur-drive service from Prestige at Europcar and airport shuttle buses. In addition, exhibitors and suppliers will be able to hire vans from Europcar’s nationwide network for their trip to ExCeL, benefiting from one-way rentals, as well as delivery and collection, at competitive rates.

A highly visible Travel Hub on ExCeL’s main boulevard will provide visitors and exhibitors with access to Europcar’s global network while as the sole vehicle rental provider for the venue, Europcar will have unique promotional opportunities on the site, as a sponsor partner for major events.

“With over 5 million visitors in 2012, across its 100,000 sqm site, ExCel is London’s biggest venue and as Europe’s largest rental provider, Europcar is the perfect partner,” says Ken McCall, Managing Director, Europcar UK Group ahead of the photocall.  “We are looking forward to working closely with ExCeL to deliver a comprehensive transport and mobility solution, across the entire campus, delivering a premium service for attendees, staff and exhibitors, as well as local residents.

David Pegler, CEO of ExCeL London comments:

“Over the next five years, ExCeL will benefit from Europcar’s network of over 250 locations across the UK and fleet of over 45,000 cars and commercial vehicles, which will help to boost the experience for exhibitors and visitors.  This innovative and unique collaboration is a first for the UK, never before have we seen a mobility centre within an exhibition and convention centre. We strive to offer service excellence and our partnership with Europcar is another example of how we continue to invest in the industry and look at ways we can add value and differentiate ourselves, putting the needs of our customers at the heart of everything we do.”

Europcar Trials ‘Pop-Up’ London Van Hire Locations

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Pop-up shops — temporary locations in unused or temporary premises — seem to be all the rage at the moment.

The latest development in the pop-up craze has come from an unexpected direction — Europcar’s largest car and van hire company, Europcar.

Europcar is currently trialling 14 new pop-up locations in London, in an effort to speed up customers’ access to rental cars and vans in the capital.

The pop-up branches are being operated as Meet & Greet locations and will offer Europcar’s full fleet of vans and cars available for collection in London.

When a customer arrives at one of the new branches, they will be met by a Europcar representative who will take them to their pre-booked hire van or car, enabling them to continue with their journey as quickly and seamlessly as possible.

It’s not clear how near the pre-booked cars and vans will beheld to the pop-up location, but I guess it’s reasonable to assume that they will be much closer than the nearest Europcar branch, enabling customers to cut out travel time across London to the nearest permanent London rental branch.

Europcar’s pop-up locations will be open six days a week, Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm, and Saturday, 8am to 1pm. The full list of Europcar pop-up locations is:

  • Battersea
  • Borehamwood
  • Camden
  • Chingford
  • Crystal Palace
  • Dartford
  • Earls Court
  • Ilford
  • New Cross
  • New Southgate
  • Notting Hill
  • Orpington
  • Staples Corner
  • Wood Green

Pop-up locations can be booked through Europcar’s website in the normal way and show up in the booking system as ‘Meet & Greet’ locations – e.g. ‘New Southgate Meet & Greet’. For more details or to make a booking, visit Europcar’s website.

Europcar Launches Business Connect Service For SME Customers

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Europcar has launched a new service aimed at SME (Small and Medium Enterprise) customers — smaller business customers who may not normally be able to access high-volume corporate deals.

The service is called Business Connect and aims to give SMEs more choice and flexibility than they enjoy at present. Some of the features of the Business Connect service are:

  • A choice of fixed rates, to help with budgeting, or variable discounted rates;
  • A choice of payment options, including credit facilities or no-contract credit card payment;
  • Access to Europcar’s online booking system
  • An Affinity scheme to provide employees with access to discounted car hire for personal use.

Europcar says that the Business Connect service will also offer a number of benefits that are usually only available to larger corporate customers, such as a guaranteed diesel option, a light damage option that waives any damage costs up to £400, and dedicated account manager support.

Delivery and collection and one-way hire are also available, although these services are on offer to regular retail customers of Europcar, too (not necessarily at the same rates).

Commenting on the launch, Ken McCall, Europcar UK Group Managing Director, said:

“The launch of Business Connect is part of Europcar’s commitment to our small business customers who are the engine room of the UK economy. Business Connect delivers big business benefits to smaller organisations, helping them get the best out of Europcar’s services by creating a rental solution that meets their specific needs.

“We know that SMEs have to be even more conscious of costs but can often find that they are excluded from the discounts and benefits that are afforded to big volume rental users.  Business Connect brings certainty on costs with discounted rates to keep UK SMEs on the move.  Plus our Affinity programme offers staff, friends and family discounts on vehicle rental booked via our consumer website, providing savings on leisure rentals.”

Europcar is Europe’s largest car and van hire company, and has more than 200 branches across the UK.

Europcar Reports Surging Demand for Sunday Van Hire

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Europcar van hireEuropcar, the leader in car and van hire services in Europe for both leisure and business users is reporting a 30% increase in collection and return of vehicles at its more than 70 locations that are open on Sundays, based on data collected from 2010 to 2013.

The company has led the market in offering 7 day opening at key airport, station and city centre locations for several years and the new data demonstrates the importance of offering access to vehicle rental at the times that suit business and leisure customers.

“We believe 7 day opening should be a standard part of the offering from vehicle hire providers”, said Ken McCall, Managing Director, Europcar UK Group.  “”Europcar was the first company to extend its opening hours to encompass Saturday afternoons and Sundays several years ago and we continue to add to the 70+ locations as we analyse and respond to customer need.

“In the past, the car hire market came to a halt for the weekend after 1pm on Saturdays. But the huge surge we’ve seen in the demand for rentals on Sundays over the past year proves that a 7-day a week service gives customers the choice and flexibility they need.”

Europcar offers easy access to car and van hire 7 days per week at key locations across the UK, including all its airports, many station branches and many city centres, enabling customers to collect and drop off vehicles every day of the week – not just during traditional office opening hours.

Click here to go to Europcar’s website.

Save 20% On Europcar Van Hire With This Discount Code [EXPIRED]

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Europcar van hire moving houseEuropcar is offering a 20% discount code for UK van hire for all bookings from July 1 to September 30 2013. 

The discount is aimed at parents transporting students to and from university with their belongings, but is open to all van rental customers.

Discount Code: 51502816
Validity: 01/07/2013 – 30/09/2013

** THIS OFFER HAS NOW EXPIRED **

To receive the discount, enter the code when prompted on Europcar’s home page.

Discussing the promotion, Ken McCall, Managing Director of Europcar UK Group said:

“When looking forward to children coming back from university, it’s often only at the last minute that parents remember they need to bring back a year’s worth of accumulated clothes, books, furniture and equipment too” says Ken McCall, Managing Director, Europcar UK Group.  “This presents the challenge of having to fit everything in the family car – or making several trips.

Rather than driving across the country several times, we recommend parents opt for van hire so that they can get the whole job done in one go.  And, although driving a van might be viewed by some as a daunting prospect, with the right guidance it is actually a lot safer than driving an overloaded car.  That’s why we’ve compiled our van driving tips – to help Mum and Dad plan for the return from University.”

Europcar has 130 van hire locations across the UK and offers a broad selection of vans, from small Vauxhall Combo-type vans to luton box vans with tail lifts. The minimum age for van hire is 22 and all Europcar vans are fully maintained to manufacturer specifications and covered by 24 hour breakdown for added peace of mind. Plus, to reduce the stress even further, Europcar can deliver vans to home addresses through its freeDeliver delivery and collection service.

If you haven’t driven a van before, don’t worry — it’s not as hard as it might seem, and we’ve produced an expert set of tips for first-time van drivers that should answer all of your questions.

Nottingham Van Hire: Europcar Opens New Hire Branch

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Europcar van hireEuropcar has opened a new car and van hire branch in Nottingham.

The branch is located at 11 Queens Road and is only around two minutes’ walk from the firm’s old location on Mabel Street.

As far as I can tell, this new branch is for Europcar customers who want to visit the branch in person to collect and drop off vehicles.

Europcar’s old Mabel Street branch appears to remain open but is marked as ‘delivery and collection only’ on the firm’s website, suggesting it is only used for customers who are having their rental vans delivered to/collected from their home or workplace.

The new Europcar Nottinhgam branch is located at:

The new Nottingham location joins a new branch in Derby to extend the Europcar network already in place across the East Midlands. Travellers in the region have access to a range of vehicles and vans and customers can collect and drop off vehicles from 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday and Saturday from 8am to 4pm.

Click here to get a Europcar quote now.

Derby Van Hire: Europcar Opens New Branch

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Europcar van hireEuropcar has opened a new branch in Derby (click here for a list of van hire hire companies in Derby).

The new Europcar Derby branch provides both car and van hire services and benefits from a spacious and accessible location on an industrial estate close to the city centre.

As far as I can tell, this new branch replaces Europcar’s old Becket Street branch, which no longer appears to be available on Europcar’s website.

The new Europcar Derby branch is located at:

Customers can collect and drop off vehicles from 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday and Saturday from 8am to 1pm.

A meet and greet service is available serving Derby Midland Railway Station, while for leisure customers, Europcar’s freeDeliver service provides free delivery and collection to customers’ homes within a radius of 5 miles, and for all bookings of two days or more. Customers can have their car delivered to any residential address within an agreed one hour window, so there’s no waiting around and Europcar collects the vehicle at the end of the booking – no hassle, no charge.

Click here to get a Europcar quote now.

Use Van Hire to Cut Costs and Get Dangerous Bangers Off the Road

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A recent data from the Freight Transport Association (FTA) showed that half of all vans on the roads over 3 years old are unroadworthy*. Europcar, the leading car and van hire company in Europe, is urging businesses to consider van hire as a cost-effective, flexible, and most importantly, safe alternative to running a fleet of older vans.

The FTA study found that there was an almost 50% failure rate on first time MOTs for vans, a sobering statistic, and one which Europcar believes demonstrates it is not always best for a business to run its own fleet of vans. As the industry changes, van rental can offer a solution which not only provides newer vans for use, but is also more flexible for a changing market.

Ken McCall, Managing Director of Europcar UK Group, explains:

“These figures from the FTA go to illustrate something that has been known within the industry for a long time – businesses are holding onto vans for longer, without having them properly maintained. This is a false economy for businesses at a time when costs are all important – as eventually the vans will either breakdown or fail their MOT.

“Rental provides the answer. Vans that are on average under 9 months old and maintained to the highest standard are available at short notice, providing a flexible fleet of vehicles for usage which can actually save businesses money.”

Listening to the changing needs of its customers, Europcar has recently undertaken a rapid expansion in its van network and portfolio of products. These innovations include increasing the number of locations where vans are available to 172 across the UK, extending operational hours and offering a discount of 25% for overnight rentals.  The core make-up of vans on the Europcar fleet has also been enhanced to ensure it remains the leading provider of vans in the UK.

“While it may seem counter-intuitive to some businesses to hire all or part of their van fleet rather than own, the market is changing, and owning and maintaining a costly fleet of vans is no longer the default option” concluded Ken McCall.  “Europcar has recognised this change in the behavior of businesses and evolved its van fleet accordingly, taking innovative steps to ensure our vans not only offer a supplementary service to fleets, but are actually a viable alternative.”

Click here to get an instant quote for Europcar van hire.

*Source: FTA, March 2013

Europcar Launches New Branding On 250 Peugeot Vans

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Europcar's new branding on its UK van fleet

Europcar’s new branding is being debuted out on the company’s UK van fleet, incorporating the slogan ‘moving your way’.

London, February 2013 – Europcar the leader in car hire services in Europe, is unveiling its new branding as it goes onto 250 Peugeot Partner Vans.

Featuring the new brand positioning, ‘Moving your way’, the Peugeot vans available for hire across the UK will help build awareness of the message that Europcar is focused on enhancing the rental experience from start to finish.

Ken McCall, Managing Director, Europcar UK Group says:

“We’re excited to see our new brand positioning rolling out across our UK van fleet.Acting as a quality stamp, ‘Moving your way’ demonstrates Europcar’s commitment to providing vehicle solutions that fit in with the mobility requirements of our customers.”

You can find a full list of Europcar’s UK van hire branches here or book van hire by visiting Europcar’s website.