Press releases

2010-07-16Europcar and Thalys renew their partnership agreement to deliver more sustainable mobility solutions

Europcar, the European leader in car rental, and Thalys, the European high-speed rail company operating daily services between France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, are renewing their partnership agreement for three years and jointly developing a range of greener mobility solutions.

 

Europcar and Thalys have renewed the partnership agreement they first signed in 2005 to develop joint mobility offerings. From September 1, 2010, the partnership will notably include a selection of vehicles from Europcar “eco-friendly” fleet, with CO2 emissions of 120g and less per kilometer.

 

Europcar and Thalys share an environmentally friendly approach to transportation, offering more sustainable alternatives. In addition to offering Thalys customers highly preferential pricing terms, for each car rental a one-euro contribution will be made to Climate Care, Europcar’s European carbon offset partner.

 

“By renewing this partnership with Thalys, we aim to provide travelers with a complete mobility solution which represents an opportunity for them to change their habits and reduce their impact on the environment,” explained Didier Fénix, Chief Executive Officer of Europcar Belgium.
“We are delighted to be renewing this agreement with Europcar,” commented Olivier Poitrenaud, Chief Executive Officer of Thalys International. “Thalys customers benefiting from this partnership will be making a statement in favor of the environment through their decision to use a combination of rail transportation and green car rental to arrive at their destination.”

 

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About Europcar

 

Europcar is the European leader in passenger car and light utility vehicle rentals. 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 rental 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 rental. It opened its first “environmental agency” in Paris in 1999, and in 2008 it was the first company in Europe to have its “Environmental Charter” – which formalizes its commitments in favor of sustainable development -- certified by Bureau Veritas.

 

For more information: www.europcar.com/corporate

 

For Europcar
Jean-Christophe Marteaux / Karin Weibel
Europcar International - Corporate Communications
Tel. +33 (0)1 30 44 92 83
jean-christophe.marteaux@europcar.com / karin.weibel@europcar.com

 

Ingrid de Valbray / Helene Coulbault / Lorie Lichtlen
Burson-Marsteller Paris
Tel. +33 (0)1 41 86 76 76
ingrid.de-valbray@bm.com / helene.coulbault@bm.com / lorie.lichtlen@bm.com

 

 

About Thalys

 

Thalys is the red high-speed train which connects Brussels with Paris in 1h22mins, and also Cologne and Amsterdam in only 1h47mins and 1h53mins respectively. Since December 13, Thalys circulates with high-speed on all lines. Thalys is a joint initiative of the SNCF, the SNCB, the DB AG and the NS. Thalys is a member of Railteam, a cooperative organization of the main high-speed railway operators in Europe, a member of the CER (Community of European Railway and Infrastucture Companies) and the UIC (Union Internationale des Chemins de Fer). Since May 2008, all Thalys coaches have WiFi on board (service provided by 21Net and activated by Nokia Siemens Networks and Telenet). By the way, the complete refurbishment of the coaches will be finished at the end of 2010; it will combine new design, seats with ergonomic comfort and new catering services. Thalys’ fidelity programme, Thalys TheCard, makes it possible to accumulate Miles and offers access to a whole range of services. It is open to all travelers on www.thalysthecard.com.

 

 

 

Press contacts

Thalys International
Patricia Baars & Charlotte De Thaye
00 32 2 504 05 99 & 00 32 2 504 05 69
press@thalys.com

 

 

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