Hertz's Latest Twist Is Adding Private Driver Services From Blacklane
Skift Take
Everyone has had a rental car nightmare — lost bookings, mysterious dents, or surprise fees. But rental car companies now face a nightmare of their own in fierce car-sharing competition. Expect Hertz's Blacklane deal to be one of many initiatives as it copes.
Hertz is enabling its rental car customers in 250 cities and 500 airports worldwide to book professional drivers as an add-on option. The drivers are vetted and supplied by black-car service Blacklane.
At first travelers will only be able to reserve the private drivers via the “Hertz Driver Services powered by Blacklane” link on Hertz's websites and through the company's call centers in Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom. The chain will bring the service to other markets soon, with options to book airport transfers, one-way rides, and trips by the hour.
Car rental companies have been struggling amid competition from ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft and car-sharing services such as Turo and
