Hertz Rolls Out Car-Share Plan

Eying Zipcar's success, rental giant will rent you a Prius for $10 an hour

By Jim O'Neill, Newser User

Posted Dec 17, 2008 7:30 AM CST

(Newser) – Look out Zipcar—car rental giant Hertz is jumping into the auto-sharing fray with hourly rentals in New York, Paris, and London, reports the New York Times. Hertz Connect customers will pay from $50 to $1,500 annually to subscribe and have access to cars for as little as $8.50 to $10 an hour.

Hertz will offer 35 models, including the young-driver favorites Toyota Prius and Mini Cooper. Renters reserve cars online and use a swipe card to access them at lots scattered around cities. “There’s a market for car-sharing and it’s larger than has been developed to date,” says one Hertz exec, citing plans to expand into some 40 US and international cities next year.

[Images (3)]

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Hertz Chairman and CEO Mark Frissora talks with reporters, Thursday, June 14, 2007 in New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

Hertz Chairman and CEO Mark Frissora poses with a Toyota Prius hybrid car on Thursday, June 14, 2007 in New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

A Hertz worker assists a customer at its rental-car pickup area at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. (Getty Images)

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There’s a market for car-sharing and it’s larger than has been developed to date.”
- Mike Senackerib,
Hertz marketing VP

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Hertz Rolls Out Car-Share Plan