THRIFTY Car & Van Rental’s flexible private and corporate rental service – FlexiFleet – is gaining traction with both private and businesses customers that are seeking a more flexible transport solution as they adapt to the UK’s fast-changing economic climate.
The Exeter-based vehicle rental firm says it has seen the number of its FlexiFleet rentals increase by 50% year-on-year since Lockdown 1.0 was eased.
FlexiFleet offers private clients and businesses the opportunity to rent a vehicle from as little as one month on a fully maintained basis, and then after six months swap into a brand-new vehicle. A fully refundable deposit provides improved cash flow, it claims, rather than an onerous upfront commitment required for other flexible rental services.
Thrifty says its fleet of vehicles is the newest in the market, and customers can choose from a comprehensive range of vehicles, ranging from a Ford Fiesta to a Transit Van, or a fully electric BMW i3 to a high performance BMW M5.
Martin Wilson, Managing Director of Thrifty Car & Van Rental, says the company’s FlexiFleet product is exactly what is required in the current unsettled circumstances and while Lockdown 2.0 will see many home-working, for others there will still be the requirement to work at the office or to make site visits. He adds:
For individuals not wishing to use public transport but understandably unwilling to enter into a long-term commitment for a car, then FlexiFleet is increasingly suitable for them. It makes a fully maintained car far more accessible, without the requirement for a large, non-refundable upfront payment.
It also enables businesses to keep staff mobile and stay lawfully compliant in a fully maintained vehicle. When the vehicle is no longer required, they simply return it. This pay-on-use flexibility provides employee mobility without the lock-in required by a traditional contract hire or lease. The benefit to business in pure and complete flexibility cannot be overstated.
FlexiFleet Support For Exeter Chiefs Rugby
The FlexiFleet rental service is used by Rob Baxter, Director of Rugby at Exeter Chiefs, who drives one of the company’s BMWs as part of Thrifty’s support for the premiership rugby club.
Exeter Chiefs recently celebrated the rare double, winning both the European and domestic rugby championships, just 10 years after securing promotion to the top flight.
“Obviously we are thrilled and delighted to see Exeter secure the double,” says Wilson. “The team’s work ethic, togetherness, plus the determined industrious nature of the way they go about their rugby, are templates for any business. We are so pleased to be associated with such values.”
In our main picture Rob Baxter (on the left), Director of Rugby at Exeter Chiefs, receives his latest FlexiDrive BMW from Thrifty Executive Chairman Roger Hancock
Thrifty’s Executive Chairman On The Changing Face Of 2020
Roger Hancock, who is the Executive Chairman of Thrifty Car & Van Rental, says the first 10 months of the pandemic-changed year have been challenging. He adds:
Like many businesses feeling the strain of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have taken some difficult decisions to ensure the company was stable and better equipped to meet the new challenges presented by such a complex economic climate. We are all some way from discovering what ‘new normal’ really looks like but we have put ourselves in a robust and extremely sustainable place to meet the inevitable challenges ahead.
We’ve certainly felt the pain, but as our focus here in the UK has been and remains the domestic corporate market and the flexi-fleet sector rather than inbound, airport-based business, the restrictions have lessened the impact on our bottom line.
Hancock also says that, while Thrifty has managed the adverse circumstances of the pandemic, it is now planning for future opportunities:
We are currently developing our charging infrastructure to reflect the growth in electric vehicle demand and have also recently launched our new logistics technology to allow driver tracking and increase the operational efficiencies for our customers.
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