Corporate car rental segment speeds up
Corporate car rental segment speeds up

In an exclusive conversation with Retailer Media, Aditya Loomba, ECO Rent a Car, shares his views on corporate car rental space…

Car rental and self driven car concept has always been a profitable business. So, what made you venture into this particular business?

Envisioning the immense growth that the Car Rental and Taxi sector promises, it was in early 1974 that Late Capt. K.R. Loomba, ECO (Emergency Commissioned Officer) laid the foundation of the brand, ECO Rent a Car, with a single borrowed car. Twenty two years of toil catapulted it into a private limited company in the year 1996. The company now functions with a whopping 2,500 vehicles across all categories and transports a record number of 20,000 passengers every day.  Capt. Loomba’s two sons Rajesh and Aditya are now treading the footsteps of their father, taking this company to newer heights.

A professional car rental and ground transportation company, ECO Rent a Car has offices in 9 cities with its services spread across 79 cities pan-India. A brick and mortar company that is built on part-owned/part-aggregation model, with its proprietary technology and processes is delivering the best-in-class user interface across mobile and web platforms. ECO Rent a Car happens to be the only company in India to own cars and coaches across all categories including Stretched Limousines catering to the needs of a smorgasbord of travellers. The company carries its emphasis on service and safety to levels of obsession making it the prime choice of direct clientele from Top Fortune 500 companies.

What are your strategies to deal with competition?

Since this market for Corporate Ground Transportation is still very fragmented and unorganised, we have taken the lead with cutting edge technology to suit corporate travel policies, as well as constant improvement in HR and Quality control processes.

Also, we are the only company in India which specialises in various verticals of ground transport such as

-          Chauffeur driven ground transportation

-          Self drive car rentals

-          Employee pick up /drop off shuttle services for mass transportation

-          Tourist luxury ground transportation for Domestic as well as Inbound foreign tourists  

Therefore, we are well placed and our competitors are very few. Only the pan-India organised corporate car rental companies can be considered as competition.

In fact in some cases, we have monopoly, for example, we are the only company in Delhi NCR to provide Chrysler Stretched Limousines.

There are companies like Ola, Uber and local taxi services which offer discount on rides and affordable rides, so how have you priced your services?

We charge Rates - per hr/day (min charge) which varies as per car models. We also give discount during festivals. ECO also provides a list of complementary amenities in the cars for guest’s usage, which are not provided by any other company.

How do you ensure the authenticity of consumers in terms of Self driven cars? 

We ask customers to deposit a copy of Driving Licence, Credit Card and Passport (visa copy in case of foreigners).

What according to you is the biggest challenge in this segment?

Our biggest challenge is also the biggest opportunity that is to maintain the right balance between achieving scale and quality.

Where do you see your brand five years down the line? 

We see ourselves as a global player in ground transportation providing the best in-class service in chauffeur driven, self drive and employee shuttle transportation.

Stay on top – Get the daily news from Indian Retailer in your inbox
Also Worth Reading