Enterprise to Transport 17K Rental Vehicles to Texas

Enterprise Holdings Inc. has already transported more than 4,000 rental cars and trucks into the Southeast Texas region. Before the end of the month, the company anticipates bringing in 17,000 total vehicles to assist with disaster recovery and hurricane clean-up efforts.

“After a catastrophic event like Hurricane Harvey, we immediately focus on our neighbors and community businesses as well as insurance companies and relief agencies, plus critical government, insurance, and utility personnel,” said Karl Koch, general manager and vice president in Houston for Enterprise Holdings, which owns the Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental, and Alamo Rent A Car brands.

Since last week, Enterprise has been collaborating with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), General Services Administration (GSA), State of Texas, Texas Army National Guard, and others to help determine the most urgent transportation needs in Southeast Texas, according to the company.

“We’re quickly shifting resources and fleet nationwide to meet spiking demand for local ground transportation in Houston and surrounding areas,” said Koch. “And we’re expanding our operating hours — at both neighborhood offices and at airport facilities — with additional staffing wherever possible. Our integrated network, with more than 525 locations in Texas alone, enables us to respond like no other car rental company, especially as we work closely with insurance companies and prioritize vehicle replacement requests for their policyholders.”

Initially, Hurricane Harvey forced Enterprise Holdings to close more than half of its 185 neighborhood and airport car rental locations in the Houston area, with approximately 3,000 vehicles destroyed or lost in the flooding. However, the company has since reopened most of its locations.

Enterprise Holdings’ three brands — Enterprise, National, and Alamo — have all waived one-way rental fees for customers who are returning vehicles to Houston (if they were rented as of Aug. 25 from Houston or from any other U.S. city).

Before Hurricane Harvey made landfall, Enterprise Rent-A-Car employees were sent home with mobile tablets, which allowed them to process rental transactions away from the counter. As a result, Enterprise employees could be reassigned from flooded branch offices to other facilities, according to the company.

The Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation donated $1 million to the American Red Cross. This donation will provide shelter, food, water, and supplies for residents in the affected areas.