Avis Applying New Technology to Speed Renters to their Cars; Shuttle Bus Drivers are Computer Operators
GARDEN CITY, N.Y. — August 27, 1991 — Avis today announced it is applying new communications technology from ARDIS, the nationwide data radio network, to enhance customer service in checking out rental cars, with an initial installation at LaGuardia Airport and expansion to 15 more major airports by year end.
The new check-out system, unique to the industry, involves a Motorola wireless computer terminal on Avis shuttle buses, the ARDIS nationwide data communications service and the Avis Wizard system.
"This new customer service uses the latest in communications technology and allows us to take our renters from the airline terminals directly to their waiting cars," Robert Salerno, senior vice president and general manager of Avis Rent A Car, said. "And we are pleased to be working with two companies that have earned the coveted Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and to be the first in the industry to use the new system."
ARDIS is a joint venture of IBM and Motorola formed in January 1990 to provide wireless data radio service.
"The Motorola mobile terminal and the ARDIS radio network are the latest stage in the evolution of two-way communication between office and field, and we are working with innovative, industry-leading companies to put more information and power in the hands of the mobile employee," said Rob Euler, vice president of marketing for ARDIS. "We are pleased to facilitate Avis' commitment to quality service in the travel industry."
When express customers board an Avis shuttle bus, the driver matches their names with an on-board manifest, then keys an identification number into the mobile data terminal. The terminal will pass the data through the ARDIS network to the Wizard mainframe in Garden City, utilizing a host-to-host link. The mainframe, which contains all the rental data, instructs a Wizard terminal at the rental location to print the appropriate rental agreements.
For the 110,000 Avis Preferred Express customers who rent under an Avis Master Rental Agreement, the bus driver will be advised of the parking space number of the renter's car where the rental agreement will be waiting in the car. Customers are brought directly to their cars, and need only to show their driver's license to the gate attendant before driving off to their appointments.
The system can also be used by any renter who has an Avis Wizard identification number to help speed them on their way. Avis said it has 6.7 million customers with Wizard numbers.
ARDIS operates a sophisticated radio system supplied by Motorola to assure accurate delivery of data in harsh radio environments, such as airport operations, so there are no garbled messages to contend with. Quick end-to-end response times enable processing numerous customers during the short bus ride from terminals to rental locations.
ARDIS operates the first nationwide radio data information service enabling in-building and on-street data communications between hand-held terminals and host computers. It provides comprehensive coverage in the top 400 metropolitan areas in all 50 states as well as in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The ARDIS goal is to provide seamless, worldwide access to any information needed by people on the move who require an alternative to wire-based communications.
Avis, an employee-owned company, pioneered computer-driven data communications in the car rental industry when it introduced its Wizard system in 1972. Wizard IV, the fourth generation of enhancements to the system, is currently being installed at major rental locations in the United States, bringing state-of-the-art electronics to bear on improving customer service and quality performance.
The Wizard system operates in 26 countries, supporting 14,500 computer terminals and serving both the car rental industry and the lodging/hotel industries worldwide.
CONTACT:
Raymond Noble of Avis, 516-222-4719