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How Rental Car Industry Is Addressing Customers Concerns During Coronavirus Outbreak

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Arpit has more than 10 years of work experience after completing MBA from NMIMS Mumbai and BE in Computer Science from BITS Pilani Goa. He is a passionate musician and an analytics enthusiast.

Due to the global outbreak of the COVID-19 disease, the entire world, for the first time in our lives, is stressing on one universally homogenous undertaking, i.e. stay-at-home. This has brought all major business activities to a halt. But if life has to move on, it is rightly pointed out by the WHO that ‘we will have to learn to live with Coronavirus in the time to come’. In this situation, the first question that comes to everyone’s mind is: how can we keep ourselves secure while travelling from one place to the other?

To allay that concern, the car rental industry is taking proactive measures to ensure that customers feel at home and don’t worry about their safety.

Here’s a list of measures that the car rental industry has implemented already:

Clean, Sanitized Cars with the Keyless Entry System
Companies are taking into account the health concerns around human contact and the remedy comes in the form of highly sanitized, clean cars with the keyless entry system, thereby facilitating utmost hygiene. It does away with the contact altogether with risk-entailing touch-points. The car rental service providers like Zoomcar are ensuring that the customers do not have to meet even an individual while getting their vehicles picked up or dropped by them.

Vigorous Inspection & Sanitation Measure
The paranoia over shared mobility due to the odds of viral transmission is something already established and acknowledged. To that end, the industry is responding to the need by introducing vigorous inspection and sanitation measures. It is bringing in an effective hygiene and sanitation process within the industry.There’s a heightened focus on ensuring that all key touch-points are wiped clean with tissues: keys, steering, gear, front and back door handles.

Further,The notion of owning a car amidst such an intensifying emphasis on social distance may have taken the backseat cutting-edge technology is integrated in the form of keyless access to a car, thereby eliminating all chances of contracting the virus.

Informed & Trained Employees
Information is the biggest weapon to defeat the COVID-19 disease and the car rental industry is taking the lead in educating its workforce. It is helping the industry players to effectively follow all the protocols to deal with the pandemic.

COVID-19 has changed the dynamics of our economy indeed. What used to be the norm till last year may well become obsolete in the coming weeks


Companies are organizing special training sessions for their employees to keep them informed about the effective measures that need to be taken to keep our customers safe from any possibility of contracting the virus while they are out of their homes.

For instance, to let you in on the line of education we impart, we prescribe handwashing before and after inspecting cars, as well as after drop and pickup. And our responsible employees do it for a minimum of twenty seconds. Keeping a safe distance from individuals demonstrating symptoms of respiratory illnesses such as coughing and sneezing is also mandatory irrespective of where they go.

Car rental companies across the country are exercising mandatory safety protocols. It is incumbent on the industry to toe the line of compliance with regards to the same. It will go a long way in training and informing our workforce while they cater to the needs of mobility for a growing consumer base, to safeguard the health and well-being of those who serve and those who are served.

Car Subscription
The notion of owning a car amidst such an intensifying emphasis on social distance may have taken the backseat. Still, the basic necessity of a mobility service remains as relevant as before. As people would avoid public transport to keep themselves safe from contracting the virus, the need for rental cars will only go up. The industry is looking at various car subscription models to serve the needs of the customers. There are a number of subscription plans starting from custodial duration of a month to a year or even more. Furthermore, the service comes at a rather nominal monthly subscription fee that covers all costs incurred on maintenance, including servicing and repair.

Risk Mitigation
While we equip our employees with both knowledge and tools to beat the virus, we also declare our financial support for the same. It is a relief package of sorts that entails a paid leave for those employees who have contracted the virus and are in quarantine, covering medical expenses, and in some cases, awarding the individual a lump sum amount. Our risk mitigation is not confined only to our employees; we are also ready to assist our customers in every way possible, from clearing their doubts to providing technical support down the line.

COVID-19 has changed the dynamics of our economy indeed. What used to be the norm till last year may well become obsolete in the coming weeks. Therefore, each industry needs to adapt itself to the new normal. The car rental industry, to that end, is well-equipped and prepared to serve its customers.