9.30.2008 - 09:00am ET

(CSRwire) ST.LOUIS,MO. - SEPTEMBER 30, 2008 - WeCar(TM), a car sharing program from Enterprise Rent-A-Car, is now available nationwide. The new offering provides an easy-to-use, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly hourly car rental option designed to meet the changing transportation needs for corporate campuses, government installations, and colleges and universities.

The national availability of WeCar makes Enterprise the first major car rental company to offer a business-to-business car sharing program throughout the United States.

"Car sharing provides a convenient, cost-effective and environmentally friendly way to have a car when you need one during the day," said Jeff Parell, senior vice president, Enterprise. "Our WeCar program can be customized to fit the unique needs of any of our partners, including businesses, government agencies, and universities. So, it gives employees or students the flexibility to attend off-site business meetings, visit customers or vendors or run personal errands."

Parell added, "As more and more people look to mass transit and other alternatives to driving their own cars to work or school, and as businesses and universities look for ways to support employees or students who need vehicles for occasional use, car sharing is a great solution."

Enterprise announced a pilot WeCar program earlier this year at Washington University in St. Louis, offering a fleet of hybrids available for faculty, staff and student use. Since then, Enterprise has begun partnering with new customers such as Recreational Equipment, Inc., (REI) in Kent, Wash.

"In calculating the company's environmental footprint, employee commuting was a significant percentage of our overall impact on the planet," said Kevin Hagen, REI's director of Corporate Social Responsibility. "Our partnership with WeCar and Enterprise has provided us a solution we're piloting to help remove one of the barriers to alternative commuting our employees face. The program allows them to have an option to run errands or attend off-site meetings when on campus and at our Sumner distribution center."


Enterprise Expands WeCar(TM) Car Sharing Program Nationwide
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WeCar car sharing is convenient and affordable. After enrolling in the program, members can reserve a vehicle online for all transportation needs – 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The cars are strategically placed in designated, easy-to-find parking spaces where they can be accessed electronically. The technology behind WeCar makes reserving and using the vehicles fast and easy, with no paperwork.

WeCar car-sharing is smart for the environment, as well. The WeCar fleet is made up largely of hybrids and other fuel-efficient vehicles; and car sharing takes vehicles off the road, helping to ease traffic congestion and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

"The concept of car sharing is a smart one, especially from an environmental perspective. A lot of us on campus are excited about having convenient and economical access to a car – particularly a hybrid – when we need it," said Stephanie Kurtzman, director of the Community Service Office at Washington University in St. Louis. "With the ability to go online and reserve the specific vehicle you need 24 hours a day, I would recommend WeCar to anyone."

Parell noted that a key strength of the WeCar program is Enterprise's position as the largest U.S. rental car company, with more than 6,000 neighborhood locations located within 15 miles of 90 percent of the U.S. population.

"With more U.S. locations than all of our major competitors combined, we have great personalized access to our customers and have continued to extend the customized service they have come to expect by listening to what they tell us. Our WeCar program is just the latest evolution of that great service and of listening to our customers," Parell said.

"I'm not surprised to see Enterprise taking the lead in the car rental industry and introducing its car-sharing program across the country," said Sean Busking, executive director of the American Car Rental Association (ACRA). "Over the years, Enterprise has built an incredibly strong neighborhood presence in the U.S., so hourly rental and car sharing options are really a natural extension of its community-oriented business model. This is a smart move for Enterprise, which has a strong track record of responding to local customers and delivering services they need, and it's good for the car rental industry overall."

For more information about WeCar, please visit www.wecar.com.

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About Enterprise Rent-A-Car
Founded in 1957 and headquartered in St. Louis, Enterprise Rent-A-Car is North America’s largest car rental company. Enterprise is owned by the Taylor family, which also owns National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car. More than 440,000 cars in the combined Enterprise, National and Alamo worldwide fleet of approximately 1.1 million vehicles average a highway fuel efficiency rating of at least 28 mpg or better, and more than 237,000 average 32 mpg or better. Enterprise of North America is part of a global strategic alliance with Europcar, the world's largest car rental network. For more information about Enterprise, visit www.enterprise.com, or for more information about the companies' industry-leading environmental stewardship initiatives, visit www.keystogreen.com.

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