Steven H. Bayless on national public radio – Marketplace.org “Auto rental companies seeking a driverless lift from tech firms”
The rise of ride-sharing apps has been tough for old-school rental car agencies. Who wants to pay for a car and parking when a couple of rides might be cheaper? But this week some rental car companies are getting a boost from partnerships with tech firms. Google’s Waymo announced a deal with Avis Budget Group to manage a fleet of self-driving minivans in Phoenix. Soon after, Bloomberg reported another deal between Apple and Hertz. So what’s in it for both sides in these partnerships? The tech businesses get all that auto maintenance expertise the car rental companies know so well, like keeping up with oil changes and tire replacement. And the older transportation companies get to rev up their expertise on what may be the future of driving.