A car
rental agency or a rent-a-car
(car hire
in British English)
is a company that rents automobiles
for short periods of time (ranging from a few hours to a few weeks) for
a fee.
It
is an elaborate form of a rental
shop, organized in numerous
local branches,
primarily located near airports
or busy city areas. The internet is changing the car rental industry
with companies that are now called online car rental companies.
Car rental agencies primarily
serve people who
have a car that is temporarily out of reach or out of service, for
example travellers
who are out of town or owners of damaged or destroyed vehicles who are
awaiting repair or insurance
compensation. Because of the
variety of sizes of their vehicles, car rental agencies may also serve
the self-moving industry
needs, by renting vans
or trucks
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Car
rentals are subject to many conditions which
vary from one brand
to another. The vehicle must be returned in a good condition and must
not exceed a maximum driven distance, otherwise extra fees may be
incurred. Additionally, some companies set up a minimum age for the
vehicle driver, which in some cases is as high as 25, even in countries
where the minimum legal age to hold a driver's license
is much lower. Recent
conditions have utilised GPS
technology to limit maximum speeds or driving to
specific regions. [citation
needed]
The vast majority of car rental companies require the use of a Credit
card,
not because they dislike cash but to make it easier for them to trace a
person after they have stolen a car, or to charge additional fees at
will if a defect is later found with the car. Rentals are
either made with the principal
companies that lease then
lend the vehicles or by third parties who compare quotes from the major
players and offer the cheapest rates.
In most
places, only gasoline
vehicles are available, but [renewable fuel] vehicles are available in
Portland, Oregon, Los Angeles, and Maui, Hawaii[1]. (Wikipedia)
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Impressum
