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From the dawn of time, only car rental on a per day, per week, per mile basis. They rented a car and paid for the time and the miles driven. But it was only a matter of time and circumstances before car rentals would be offered with free mileage.

In 1967 my partner and I have a bankruptcy car rental company and had three rental stations, Miami, 5th Street on the South Beach and the third one in Ft. Lauderdale. At the time, yellow Rent A Car, owned by Yellow Cab of Miami, with rental stations in Miami and Ft. Lauderdale was a sub-compact car with unlimited mileage free on $ 45 per week. They were the first and only car rental company with free Mileage but with a minimum one weeks rental requirement.

I can not tell you what year they first Mileage charge but I can guess why. They were only in South Florida, they were only dealing with the leisure and Disney World 200 miles north was not opened. Tenant has not many miles. The competition for a sub-compact car in the 1960s was $ 5 per day, $ 25 per week [5-times the daily rental] and 5-cents per mile. With at least one week rental at $ 25 and with it the week of 45 U.S. Dollar they would have the difference, or $ 20, to cover the miles. At 5 cents per mile of the customer could use up to 400 miles for the week and the rent would be a wash. I found later that it was a winner for Yellow Rent A Car.

To my knowledge, Yellow Rent A Car was the grand daddy of free mileage. Your reservation in a week was a minimum. My partner and I, owners of Capital Rent A Car is one step further. We were the first to offer unlimited free mileage a day or more. One week minimum rental was not applicable. It could not be better than that, and I will tell you how it evolved.

Our business has been advertised in the local tourist magazines. We pay a commission for transfers from the hotel and motel owners, hotel porter and cab driver. We were just like the other 20 to 30 local car rental company that we compete with. We needed an edge, and the idea of a sort of free program Mileage fascinated both of us.

Our company was with tourists and their average rent was 6 or 7 days. A look at our completed leases, the average amount of miles driven in one week was approximately 250th If we have a daily rate with some free miles would that fly? We thought, and so we could have offered 50 free miles and have been below the average of the tenants must Mileage. But the phrase that we finally allows us to offer more miles. More than what the average tenant would, and it would be a real bargain. The original mileage offer, the daily rate at 75 miles.

We were phasing out our Volkswagen, a sub-compact car, with a rate of $ 4 per day, 4 cents per mile. Our compact car, a Dodge Dart, which lead to our car, had a rate of $ 6 per day, $ 30 per week and 6 cents per mile. We arrived at a daily rate of $ 8.50, which 75 miles free. Typical was the week 5 times per day, and in this instance 5 times $ 6 per day to $ 30, plus of course the mileage. With the free miles, we decided that we are not one per week. The tenant pays a day, regardless of whether the hire was a day, 7 days or whatever.

Our business went well and why not. We have advertising in the local tourist magazines "free miles." At $ 8.50 per day, it was a bargain, and I can only guess the thoughts that our caller was. The additional $ 2.50 per day for the $ 6 per day rent was a bargain. You have 75 miles, so that they do not have to worry about a free mileage allowance. Or, they thought, perhaps $ 8.50 per day is cheaper than $ 49 per week, recently increased rate from yellow. Within 6 months we have realized that no one went anywhere near the break-even Mileage illustration. So we have the next best thing. We have free kilometers. The year was the 1969th

Shortly thereafter, we were aware of CATM. CATM is an acronym for the Consolidated Air Tour Manual. A publication by the airlines serving Florida. It was a compilation of the prices of the hotels, car rentals, attractions and other tourism enterprises, including support for tour operators. Tour operators offer packages, including airfare, hotel and other services such as rental cars. The theory was that if a customer bought each component of the package separately would cost the operator in the context of the package price. By the CATM airlines and travel agents could reserve our cars, either directly or through tour operators.

So we are in CATM and we compete with the big boys, Hertz, Avis and National. Not so great at the time, but impressive, were the budget, Olins, perhaps American International and the U.S. Dollar per day, the Dollar Rent A Car. Our $ 8.50 per day and a weekly rate of $ 59 per week [round out the rate we] stood by itself. Not another car rental and free mileage per day, per week, per mile rate schedule. Two or three years later was the next Avis car rental companies offer unlimited free mileage, but with at least three days.

We first in CATM in 1970, and I mention this because I have previously stated that we, Capital Rent a Car, was the first to offer unlimited free mileage a day or more. To this assertion, I must mention that in 1942 I was in my seventh grade shop class and the teacher claimed that he had the plane before the Wright brothers. I'm not kidding you, and perhaps he. But if he did not say any such Orville and Wilbur got the credit.

Maybe we were not the first with unlimited free miles and perhaps someone in Okemos. Wed or Rockford, IL has. But if they do not tell all. We have, through the publication in a national, CATM. So we are to credit for the first. The next time you rent a car and do not pay for Mileage You can thank us.

For those who want to express our right to me, please contact my e-mail address.