Avis Budget receives smoke-free business award.

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Car Rental News - 14/02/2011

 

Avis Budget Group’s groundbreaking smoke-free programme earns auto hire giant a national award in the USA.

Avis Budget Group, one of the world’s biggest vehicle hire companies, has been given the National Smoke-Free Business Award by an American group that campaigns for the rights of non-smokers. The organization, Nonsmokers’ Rights, presented the plaudit in recognition of Avis Budget’s decision to enact the industry’s first blanket ban on smoking in its fleet of rental vehicles.

Late in 2009, Avis Budget Group announced that it was implementing a smoke-free policy. Under the new policy, smoking is not allowed in any of the vehicles in the Budget Rent A Car and Avis Rent A Car fleets.

The smoking ban applies to customers and staff alike and covers all fleet vehicles in the USA and Canada. Contractors who drive Avis Budget vehicles are also banned from smoking in the cars and trucks.

After the end of March this year, all rental locations facilities and offices belonging to the Avis Budget Group will also be 100-per-cent smoke-free. Avis Budget’s EVP for operations, Larry De Shon, said that the recognition Avis Budget had received from Americans for Nonsmoker’s Rights was an honour the group proudly accepted.

De Shon explained how the company had implemented its smoke-free policy as a result of customer feedback. He said the most popular special request from customers had been for a smoke-free vehicle. He added that the move by the hire group meant that non-smokers could breathe more easily when travelling. He went on to say that other hire companies were starting to implement similar policies.

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