Who's Paying for Traffic, Parking and Toll Violations?
Enterprise Holdings: "No one wants to be surprised with a fine for unpaid violations after traveling"
ST. LOUIS, Sept. 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- In an ongoing effort to help address outstanding fines for traffic, parking and toll violations by car rental customers, Enterprise Holdings has notified more than 7,400 local governments in the United States and Canada, and also has submitted the company's contact information as part of the public record. Enterprise Holdings, through its regional subsidiaries, operates the Alamo Rent A Car, Enterprise Rent-A-Car and National Car Rental brands.
The annual reminder directs government officials to deliver notice of any outstanding tickets and fines to the company's shared services centers in Tulsa and Toronto (examples linked: U.S., Canada).
"Costly delays in collecting fines from traffic, parking and toll violators can negatively impact many important taxpayer services," said John Murphy, vice president of airport operations for Enterprise Holdings. "To ensure local governments receive timely payment, we streamline the processing of this information, enabling local officials to quickly identify and directly work with individuals who have outstanding fines."
Following the 2007 acquisition of Alamo and National, Enterprise Holdings began to consolidate and process citation data more consistently on behalf of all three brands at its shared services centers. (Previously, Enterprise Rent-A-Car offices handled customer traffic and parking fines locally.) Information about violators is reviewed and, whenever possible, transmitted to the proper government officials, allowing their respective local courts to enforce citations more rapidly and reduce backlogs of unpaid fines.
Laws differ across each state and municipality. Some communities enable car rental companies to transfer liability to those responsible for the traffic fine. In locations where car rental companies are legally required to pay violations on behalf of their customers, Enterprise Holdings works directly with local authorities to manage the payment process and recover its administrative costs via a fee from each violator. In such cases, the renter's contact information is not disclosed, ensuring that driving records and insurance rates remain unaffected.
"Our continued preference is for local officials to work directly with car rental customers to process fines. It's the most efficient and cost-effective method for all involved," Murphy explained.
Automatic Toll Options
The ticket enforcement process can be further complicated by unmanned, electronic toll booths or "cashless toll roads" that may require the driver to have a local payment device to pass through legally. In certain states, the Enterprise, Alamo and National brands offer TollPass™ Automatic, an optional service that allows customers to drive through applicable video tolls worry-free.
TollPass Automatic is currently available in Colorado, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Northern California, Puerto Rico, Texas, Toronto, Ontario, Vancouver, British Columbia, and Washington. In addition, all states using the TollPass Automatic program are interoperable, meaning customers who generate a toll in any of these states are "auto-opted" into the program – regardless of which state they return the car.
With TollPass Automatic, if customers do not pass through any video tolling stations or automated booths, they are not charged for the service at all that day. However, the TollPass Automatic service provides automatic billing for those who choose to pass through tolls – and the TollPass Convenience Charge is only $3.95 per usage day, with a maximum fee of $19.75 per rental transaction (plus all incurred toll charges).
"No one wants to be surprised with a fine for unpaid violations after traveling," Murphy said. "With TollPass, car rental customers can travel across roads with video tolls worry-free, reducing the number of toll violations and fines issued to customers. This automated service, in conjunction with our ongoing work with local officials, supports our efforts to ensure any tolls or outstanding fines are swiftly paid."
In addition, transponders are available in select U.S. markets (including Oklahoma, as well as in the Northeast and North Central areas) where video tolls are not available. Transponders are radio-frequency identification-based systems that automatically pay bridge and road tolls. They are available to Enterprise, Alamo and National car rental customers at a daily rate, plus all incurred toll charges. Other consumer options may include paying cash at traditional toll stops or avoiding automated toll roads altogether.
About Enterprise Holdings
Enterprise Holdings – the largest car rental company in the world as measured by revenue, fleet and employees – operates a global network of more than 8,600 fully staffed neighborhood and airport locations under the Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car brands. In addition, Enterprise Holdings and its affiliate Enterprise Fleet Management together offer a total transportation solution, including extensive car rental and car sharing services, truck rental, corporate fleet management and retail car sales. Combined, these businesses accounted for $17.8 billion in revenue, employed 83,000 and operated 1.5 million vehicles throughout the world in fiscal year 2014.
Enterprise Holdings currently is ranked as one of America's Largest Private Companies. Furthermore, if it were publicly traded, Enterprise Holdings would rank on Fortune's list of the 500 largest American public companies. Enterprise Holdings, through its regional subsidiaries, operates more than 6,000 fully staffed offices in the U.S. – almost 70 percent more than its nearest competitor – and all located within 15 miles of 90 percent of the U.S. population. In addition, Enterprise Holdings not only accounts for the largest airport market share in the U.S., but its domestic rental fleet also is one of the newest in the industry. The company's affiliate, Enterprise Fleet Management, provides full-service fleet management to companies and organizations with medium-sized fleets. Other transportation services marketed under the Enterprise brand name include Enterprise CarShare, Enterprise Rideshare, Enterprise Car Sales, Enterprise Truck Rental, Zimride by Enterprise, Exotic Car Collection by Enterprise and Motorcycle Rental by Enterprise. For more information about Enterprise Holdings, visit www.enterpriseholdings.com.
This press release and car rental industry news are available in the Enterprise Holdings Press Room.
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SOURCE Enterprise Holdings
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