University car club provides access to low-emission vehicles

Hertz has signed a partnership with Oxford Brookes University enabling more than 3,000 staff and 18,500 students to rent low emission and electric cars by the hour.

Hertz 24/7 vehicles will be available for staff use during working hours, with availability for students and private requirements during evenings, weekends and holidays.

The Hertz 24/7 fleet for the University’s car club includes low emission Ford Fiesta’s, and an all-electric Mitsubishi i-Miev. The Oxford Brookes Car Club is part of the University’s on-going commitment to reduce travel costs and its carbon footprint.

Michel Taride, group president, Hertz International, said: "We are delighted to collaborate with Oxford Brookes University to provide the convenience and environmental benefits of Hertz 24/7 to staff and students alike. The technology-enhanced Hertz 24/7 pool fleet for the University’s car club will help ease local congestion through shared vehicle use, while providing an alternative to driving a privately-owned car."

Henning Thiel, sustainability manager at Oxford Brookes University, said: "Hertz 24/7 will be an important addition to the University's suite of transport solutions which provides an excellent service to our staff and students. While increasing the quality of the student experience, the car club will also help the University in reducing our environmental impacts and will have a positive effect on our local community by alleviating traffic and parking conditions."

The Hertz 24/7 cars for the Oxford Brookes Car Club are located at University buildings and student halls. These include the main campus at Gipsy Lane Site, the Clive Booth Student Village, Headington Hill Site, Marston Road Site, Wheatley Campus, Harcourt Hill Campus, Warnerford Hall and Crescent Hall. Members of the Oxford scheme can also access a network of Hertz 24/7 vehicles located across the country.

Students and staff can easily book the vehicles online, by phone, or by using iPhone or Android apps and, as with all 24/7 vehicles, RFID technology allows keyless entry to any vehicle in the fleet.  While on the road, members have 24/7 one-touch access to the Customer Care Centre through the in-car hands-free telecom technology.