Want a ride? (Part I)

Having access to a vehicle while on vacation often makes a big difference for travelers, allowing them to visit at their own pace. Today’s post is the first of two on car rentals and how this business relates to the hotel industry.

History

One of the first references to car rental can be found in the Minneapolis Journal of July 22, 1904, where there was a short ad in which a bicycle shop offered cars for rent.

A few years later (1912) in Germany, Martin Sixt founded “Martin Sixt Autofahrten†with three vehicles. In 1917, he opened an arm in Munich at Seitzstrasse 11, where one of the most visited SIXT branches is still located today. In 1927, his nephew, Hans Sixt, took over the company. After introducing innovations such as the first radio cabs in Europe, Hans founded “Auto SIXT.†A few years later, the first airports opened in Frankfurt/Main and Munich, opening the way for tourists. In 1967, SIXT became the first German company to launch a full-service leasing program.

In the US, car rental was introduced by Joe Saunders in 1916 in Omaha. The idea came to him when his brother, Harris Saunders, a partner in the family’s real estate firm, was out for a ride with his girlfriend and the car broke down. Harris had it towed back to town where he learned that it would be out of order for several weeks. Joe was dismayed when he learned the news as the car was also used for business and, without it, it would be difficult to travel around Omaha to sell lots and houses. It was then that Joe came up with the idea that was to launch a billion-dollar industry. Why not rent a car? In August 1916, he bought a used Model T Ford and on August 20, he put a small ad in the Omaha World Herald advertising the car for rent. By 1917, his Ford Livery Company was renting out 18 Model Ts at 10 cents per mile. By 1926, Saunders had expanded to 56 cities. In 1955, Saunders’ company was bought by Avis.

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