July 05, 2012, 6:19 am -- /EPR NETWORK/ -- Europcar, the leader in car hire services in Europe, is aiming to keep its customers moving throughout London this summer. The company has increased the use of electric bikes to improve the efficiency of its vehicle delivery and collection service, working in partnership with logistics company, AutoClenz.
Transport for London (TfL) has advised that, as much as possible, travellers should use public transport from mid-July through to September, but there will still be businesses and individuals that need the flexibility of being in their own vehicle, and Europcar believes car hire for specific journeys in and around London may be more convenient than people driving their own vehicles into the capital. Europcar has therefore taken the initiative to implement the most streamlined processes for car hire in London.
Europcar has worked with logistics company, AutoClenz, for more than a year, exploiting the efficiency and environmental benefits of the electric bikes used by AutoClenz delivery staff. Now, AutoClenz will be employing more delivery agents to carry out vehicle deliveries and collections on behalf of Europcar, using electric bikes across the capital. The electric bikes can be folded up and put into the boot of a car, enabling AutoClenz agents to deliver a hire vehicle on behalf of Europcar, retrieve the bike and slip through traffic to collect the next vehicle without delay or adding to congestion.
"There's no question that getting around London during July and August will be more challenging," said Ken McCall, Managing Director, Europcar UK Group. "But for some businesses and individuals there’s just no way to avoid using their vehicles rather than public transport. Our goal is to do as much as possible to make these journeys as stress-free, without adding to the congestion with our own delivery and collection vehicles.
"Working in partnership with AutoClenz, their delivery and collection agents will be able to get around more quickly than if they were on 4 wheels, especially around the more congested areas. This is part of our commitment to delivering the same quality service to our customers during this intensely busy period.
"Our partnership with AutoClenz is also an important part of our 'Green Pledge', helping us reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. The electric bikes are light, clean and easy to load into vehicles."
Deryck Worrall, Director of AutoClenz added: "We are investing in more electric bikes for our business as a whole as part of our commitment to a greener service. And through our partnership with Europcar we are pleased to be helping the market leader deliver a high quality customer experience, particularly when we know getting around London will be at its most challenging."
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About Europcar
Europcar is the leader in car rental services in Europe. Present in 140 countries, including car hire in the UK, the company provides customers with access to the world’s largest vehicle rental network through its own operations, franchisees and partnerships. With 6,500 employees committed to delivering customer satisfaction and an average fleet of 190,000 vehicles, Europcar is conscious of its corporate citizenship responsibilities. Winner of the first World Travel Award recognizing the World's Leading Green Transport Solutions Company, Europcar also was honoured with the Award in 2010 and 2011. Europcar is owned by Eurazeo.
More information can be found at www.europcar.co.uk
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www.europcar.co.uk