Here’s all the latest news from car rental companies and rail players across the globe, gathered up courtesy of Travel Weekly.

Avis launches car rental subscription service

Avis Australia has today announced the launch of Avis Flex, a monthly subscription service developed to meet the changing consumer demands within the car rental industry.

Available for customers now, Avis Flex enables access to short and long-term rentals for a monthly fee. This provides customers the option to rent vehicles from 28 days up to 11 months at cheaper rates than standard Avis rentals.

Customers can book Avis Flex vehicles as they would any Avis rental, pay no upfront costs and are not locked into any long-term commitments beyond the minimum period of 28 days.

Among other benefits, Avis Flex also offers customers the option to swap their rented vehicle up to three times over 11 months at specified intervals.

The launch of Avis Flex comes not long after Avis and sister brand Budget introduced their own safety pledges.

The pledge protocols will be implemented in all Avis Australia and Budget Australia rental locations as part of their commitment to providing a safe, clean, and convenient transport solution as Australia works towards easing domestic travel restrictions by July.

As part of the pledges, both brands have enhanced their cleaning protocols, including utilising disinfectant that protects customers and employees against pathogens.

All vehicles are cleaned before every rental, paying special attention to high touchpoint surfaces such as the steering wheel, indicators, dashboard, hand grips, in-car entertainment controls, cup holders, keys, centre consoles, and all door handles, both inside and out.

Rail Europe’s new website to launch this month

Rail Europe has announced it will launch a new-look international booking website and app in the coming weeks.

The vision of this new platform is to provide an enhanced booking experience so that travellers can discover Europe more easily and more quickly.

During the lockdown period, Rail Europe has been working on a whole new booking experience, with a view to aligning all of its current worldwide websites. The Rail Europe app has also been given a new look and feel.

Both will be launched in June, in time for the opening up of many European countries, when people will start planning their holidays again.

One of the new features is a user-friendly tutorial to help customers navigate the new platform and experience just how intuitive it is when it comes to exploring Europe’s cities, coasts, culture, and lesser-known corners.

In addition to a new contemporary look, Rail Europe has developed a state-of-the-art booking engine which gives customers access to its wide booking inventory.

On the app, available on Android and IOS, customers can buy European tickets, view their purchases offline, and have access to more mobile tickets.

The website will also make it easier for Rail Europe’s customers to process refunds and exchanges independently, with a wide array of expert help articles to advise them.

New app to make road trip planning easier

An innovative new app is set for launch that provides drivers with a weather forecast for all the points of a long route.

Available now as a beta version on iOS-supported devices, Weather on the Way claims to be the first app that allows users to check the weather forecast three days in advance of doing a long, intercity drive. The app also shows drivers alternate routes based on weather forecasts.

Weather on the Way provides weather alerts for 89 countries, including the US, Canada, European Union member nations, and Israel.

Enterprise Holdings implements ‘Complete Clean Pledge’ and new processes for car rental brands

Credit: iStock/tupungato

Enterprise Holdings has announced the implementation of its ‘Complete Clean Pledge’ program across the Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car brands, as well as its comprehensive portfolio of transportation services.

As part of the pledge, Enterprise Holdings employees are being trained to implement the new and more comprehensive cleaning mandates for their protection, and for the safety and service of customers.

These mandates include enhanced cleaning guidance for vehicles, shuttles and branch locations, as well as social distancing practices.

In addition to new signage throughout rental locations and vehicle lots indicating updated rental processes, customers will soon begin seeing Complete Clean Pledge notifications within their rented vehicles confirming they have been thoroughly cleaned.

This includes washing, vacuuming, general wipe down and sanitizing with a disinfectant that meets health authority requirements, with particular attention to more than 20 high touchpoints.

Enterprise has also modified its services to protect customers and employees. Its new offerings include kerbside rental transactions, as well as delivery at some locations.

Featured image: Facebook/Avis Australia