Hertz announced Oct. 18 that Hertz On Demand, Hertz's global car sharing club, has signed a partnership with BAA's Heathrow Airport to provide a business car-share program for selected airport employees.

As part of the agreement, Hertz On Demand is supplying Heathrow with a dedicated fleet of low-emission Ford Fiestas for use as employee pool cars. Bookings are managed by an online system. The facility also includes servicing, maintenance, cleaning, tax and tires. The program will allow Heathrow to significantly drive down overall costs by improving liveried vehicle utilization and management along with reducing administration and overheads.

Michel Taride, president of Hertz International, said, "The Heathrow pool car model is a business version of our Hertz On Demand car-share service, which offers companies the ability to manage their fleet in an eco-friendly, efficient and cost-effective way. It has allowed Heathrow to reduce its number of pool vehicles by 25 percent, just by virtue of our technology."

Max Vialou-Clark, retail services director of Heathrow Airport, added: "We are very pleased with the efficiency that the Hertz On Demand solution provides for our employee pool cars, making it far easier to manage our liveried vehicles while reducing costs. What's more, our partnership with Hertz On Demand is a key program to support our environmental sustainability initiatives."

The Ford Fiestas are equipped with Hertz On Demand technology to provide employees with keyless entry and in-car access to a Member Care Center operator, if assistance is needed.

The partnership with Heathrow, which is one of the world’s busiest airlines with more than 90 airlines calling it their base, serves as another example of the growing trend of businesses seeking innovative, convenient, cost-effective and eco-friendly travel solutions. With a wide range of mobility offerings, including Hertz On Demand car sharing, Hertz is ideally positioned to offer companies tailored solutions which are designed to meet the demands of businesses today.

Hertz On Demand places cars on corporate sites and offers corporate members the added benefit of classic rent-a-car services. Businesses, government entities with fleet operations, and even companies operating residential buildings such as apartment blocks, can all benefit by offering employees and tenants car-sharing services.

Companies seeking further information on how Hertz On Demand can benefit their business can contact members of the team on www.hertzondemand.com.