Online Bidding for Car Rental at Budget Rent A Car
2 June 1999
Just in Time for Your Summer Vacation: Online Bidding for Car Rental at Budget Rent A CarIt's a Simple Click of the Mouse at http://www.drivebudget.com. LISLE, Ill., June 2 -- The 271 million Americans who will be traveling this summer* can now make this year's vacation a lot more affordable. Beginning June 2, travelers can get a deal on their summer vacations with BidBudget, the car rental industry's first online bidding rental car program from Budget Rent a Car Corporation, the world's third largest car and truck rental system. In response to increasing customer demand for convenient travel planning, BidBudget will be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week only at Budget's Web site, http://www.drivebudget.com . Placing a bid with Budget is as easy as a click of the mouse on the dedicated BidBudget icon. Customers fill out a short, easy form indicating the desired pickup location and rental dates, the preferred car type, and the desired price. Within a day Budget notifies the customer via an email if the bid was accepted. The bottom line is BidBudget customers can take control of their travel planning and book the vehicles they want from Budget's WorldClass fleet at the rates they want to pay. BidBudget answers consumers' demands for this type of service as evidenced by a recent Internet study by Opinion Research Corporation International, which reported that 44 percent of the people polled said they would like to be able to suggest the price they're willing to pay for rental cars. "BidBudget is another example of how Budget Rent a Car provides customers with a great product at a good value through a medium that is increasingly popular with travelers," states Sandy Miller, chairman and CEO of Budget Group, Inc. "As a known innovator in the industry, it seems only natural for Budget to be the first car rental company to offer an online bidding program to meet the changing needs of consumers who embrace Internet technology." BidBudget is another "first" in a long line of innovative customer programs developed by Budget. Perfect Drive is the first frequent renter program where members can redeem points for awards they really want -- from Callaway golf equipment to K2 skis. Budget was the first to offer out-of-the- ordinary vehicles, like Ranger Pickups, and is the only major car rental company to rent environmentally-friendly vehicles, like electric and natural gas cars. * Source: Travel Industry Association of America