The ‘Rail to Road’ service offers three vehicle categories, with no minimum advance-booking requirement
Etihad Rail passengers can now rent cars from Dh80 to Dh200 a day, with no security deposit required, fuel included and a standard 60km allowance, as part of a first- and last-mile rental service operating at the Abu Dhabi and Fujairah stations.
The Rail to Road service, offered through Thrifty Car Rental’s Flexy product, is designed for passengers who need a vehicle after arriving at their destination.
“Passengers will not have to go through the hassle of providing a security deposit or worrying about refuelling the car prior to return,” Amit Kumar, general manager at Thrifty Car Rental, told Khaleej Times.
All packages include prepaid fuel and 60km of driving, while additional mileage can be purchased for an extra charge. An introductory offer is also currently available to Etihad Rail commuters, although Thrifty did not elaborate.
Rental periods are offered on a 24-hour basis rather than being tied directly to train arrival or departure times. Thrifty said this gives passengers flexibility in the event of changes to their travel schedule.
There are three initial rental categories:
- Essential includes hatchbacks and smaller sedans such as the Toyota Yaris, Baleno and Hyundai Accent.
- Comfort offers larger sedans and compact SUVs, with models including the Mazda CX-3, Hyundai Creta and Mazda 6.
- Stretch covers bigger and more premium vehicles, including the Audi A3, Mazda CX-90, Jeep Cherokee, Nissan Patrol and Jeep Wrangler.
Walk-ins allowed
Passengers do not need to pay a rental deposit. Instead, payment cards are tokenised for processing, according to Thrifty.
There is also no minimum advance-booking period. Travellers can reserve a vehicle before their journey, book when they reach the station or rent one as a walk-in.
“There is no minimum time limit for booking the cars. The customer can book well in advance or at the station itself. We also have an adequate number of cars available for walk-in customers as well,” Kumar said.
Can you return the car somewhere else?
The service is primarily designed around passengers collecting a car at their arrival station, using it for their onwards journey and returning it to the same station.
However, customers can customise their rental and return the vehicle at another Thrifty location.
“Based on the current user experience, we have seen most customers returning the cars at the station from where they hired it,” Kumar said. “However, Thrifty does permit users to return the car to any of its wide network of locations at a nominal one-way rental fee.”
How to book
Car rental has already been integrated into the Etihad Rail booking journey. Once passengers book their train ticket, they are given an option to book a rental car, said Kumar.
“This entire journey is going through further enhancements to make it a lot more visible and simple for the customers.”
The Rail to Road project is part of an exclusive five-year partnership between Etihad Rail and Thrifty aimed at providing first- and last-mile transport directly from passenger stations.
Under the partnership, Thrifty plans to invest more than Dh10 million over five years in fleet expansion, digital infrastructure and the customer experience. An initial fleet of around 500 vehicles is planned, with capacity to increase as passenger demand and the rail network grow.
The partnership also envisages digital kiosks and physical assistance desks across Etihad Rail’s 11 passenger stations, alongside booking through Etihad Rail and Thrifty’s digital platforms.
Kumar said the investment will initially focus on self-checkout and the digital booking journey, while also expanding the number of vehicles based on demand.
Source: Khaleejtimes
