Europcar Lands Touch-Screen Technology at Heathrow

LONDON, July 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Europcar, the European leader in car hire, continues to show the way in customer experience by adding to its series of innovative products, such as weDeliver and its recently released iPhone App, with the introduction of state-of-the-art touch-screen technology at its Heathrow Terminal 5 station. The touch-screen, which allows customers to plan their trip, is the first of its kind for any car hire company in Europe or the world.

From August, travellers arriving at Heathrow T5 will hit the ground running thanks to the Microsoft Surface - a 30-inch touch-screen inbuilt to an interactive table and unique software designed especially by Europcar to give customers a virtual guide to their location, allowing users to draw routes - whether around a small town or across continents, using highly detailed maps provided by search engine, Bing.

Europcar customers will be able to zoom in on locations, flip between screens and mark out a variety of points of interest, including hotels and museums, festivals, music venues and theme parks, all of which can be added to their itinerary.

For customers looking for particular attractions, the touch-screen also enables users to map out themed routes, whether that be wine buffs planning a tour of vineyards, or history lovers developing a route through castles, museums and other historical places. They can then print their itinerary, or send it direct to their smart phones or PDA using Bluetooth or wireless.

Danny Higgins, Head of eCommerce at Europcar, commented: "We are constantly looking for ways of putting ourselves at the vanguard of the ultimate customer experience and this is just the start for Europcar embracing this exciting new technology. We pride ourselves on innovation and look forward to adding the Surface to our range of cutting edge products and services that all go toward helping make the customer's journey as enjoyable as possible."

The Surface-tables are being rolled out across Europe as well as in the UK, and will steadily appear across all of Europcar's locations in the coming months.

In addition to the Surface, Europcar have also introduced an iPhone and iPad App*, allowing users to book a car hire and any additional equipment in real-time and to locate their nearest hire station, wherever they are. The App is available now at http://itunes.com/app/europcar .

Notes to editors

* The App is available for the iPhone or iPad. Upon booking, the confirmation number of the reservation is sent to the customer either by email or SMS. Customers can also follow, modify or cancel their reservation using the application. It is possible to hire a vehicle from any Europcar station in the world and to locate their closest station via GPS using the application.

About Europcar:

Europcar, is the European leader in passenger car and light utility vehicle hire. The company serves business and leisure customers throughout Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and Asia-Pacific. Excluding franchise operations, in 2009 Europcar signed 9.5 million rental contracts, with 7,000 employees and a fleet exceeding 190,000 vehicles. In September 2008, Europcar and U.S. market leader Enterprise Holdings joined forces in a strategic commercial alliance to form the world's largest car hire network, with more than 1.2 million vehicles and 13,000 locations around the world. Europcar is owned by the French investment company Eurazeo.

Europcar is the European market leader and is also leading in its environmental approach to car hire. It opened its first "environmental agency" in Paris in 1999, and in 2008 was the first company in Europe to have its "Environmental Charter" - which formalises its commitments in favour of sustainable development -- certified by Bureau Veritas.

SOURCE Europcar