When local car rental services are booming fast following a growth in the local telecom and corporate sectors in Bangladesh, international companies find the market potential for future.
Hertz International Licensee, local franchisee of Hertz Corporation, largest car rental company for general use in the world, started its operation in Bangladesh few years back.
Recently, the company teamed up with Mollah Netcom Ltd to operate the brand in Bangladesh, and opened two new branches in the capital at Malibag and Gulshan as part of its expansion plans.
“Bangladesh enjoys strong economic growth. With influx of foreign direct investments, there is increasing demand for top class car rental services,” said Michel Taride, president of Hertz International and executive vice president at Hertz Corporation, at a ceremony to mark the occasion.
The company delivers high quality products and services to meet the growing needs of corporate and leisure customers of telecom, pharmaceuticals and world chain retailers, said Arshal Arafat, chief executive officer of Hertz Bangladesh.
“We have taken over the company's local control from the previous licensee in July last year, but started formal operations in October.”
“Now we provide total mobility solutions for employees, senior management and VIPs working in telecom, pharmaceuticals and multinational companies,” Arafat added.
Hertz Bangladesh offers cars of different ranges to cater for leisure and business travel with airport transfers, chauffeur drive and long-term rentals, he said.
Simultaneously, the company also provides inter-city transfers between Dhaka and other main cities such as Chittagong and Cox's Bazar, he said.
The company has a fleet of 47 vehicles from entry-level cars to luxury ones like Mercedes-Benz and BMW, including bus and microbus.
“One can choose from a fleet of air-conditioned sedans, sports utility vehicles, minivans and minibuses. And our biggest clients are the multinational companies and telecom operators, including Grameenphone, Banglalink and Robi,” Arafat said.
He said the company charges from Tk 55,000 to Tk 2.5 lakh a month for each vehicle depending on type and size of the vehicles.
Arafat said the company plans to increase the number of cars in the fleet to 250 cars in the next five years, and also to take a major initiative to train the drivers properly so they can provide services of international standards.