Ireland's Rental Fleet Plummets Over 50%
Chances of re-fleeting to meet recovery demand "will be a big problem," says head of Irish car rental association.

The Car Rental Council of Ireland is calling on the government to provide a financial package like the 10 million euro ($12.24 million) given to the bus tourism industry.
Photo via Oliver Gargan/Wikimedia.
The Irish car rental market is likely to suffer a shortage of vehicles in 202, according to the Irish Times.
Industry officials say the rental market has been crippled this year because of its close ties to the travel and leisure markets, which have suffered as a result of the global coronavirus restrictions. The Irish rental fleet dropped from 21,500 in March to about 10,000 now. In 2019, sell-offs never left the total fleet amount below 18,000.
The Car Rental Council of Ireland is calling on the government to provide a stimulus package like the 10 million euro ($12.24 million) given to the bus tourism industry.
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