How are you approaching this recovery?
Pierre-Olivier Bard - We are gradually emerging from the crisis. We were in a good financial situation before the pandemicThis enabled us to get through the period without too many problems, while remaining independent in our choices and decisions. While short-time working helped us through this difficult period, we didn't need to take out an EMP, for example. Our ability to finance our fleet is still there, which is important.
How have you adapted to a fluctuating business?
P.-O. B. - We have worked enormously on managing our costs, one of the main ones being of course our vehicle fleet. We've managed to make our fleet as flexible as possible by reducing it, then increasing it again. We also made it move around a lot more than usual, particularly in line with the tourist seasons. The important thing was to have vehicles available in the right place, where customers expect them to be. Another important aspect was the introduction of very strict health protocols to ensure the safety of our customers and staff. Finally, the crisis also led us to offer our customers greater flexibility, with free cancellations authorised up to 24 hours before picking up the prepaid vehicle, a policy that is still in force today. In this context, our sound financial situation has enabled us to reimburse our customers within five working days.
The important thing was to have vehicles available in the right place, where customers were waiting for them.
What are your main customers at the moment?
P.-O. B. - As we have seen in 2020 and even more so in 2021, in France we are fortunate to have a highly resilient domestic leisure market. This is an advantage, because business is still very domestic at the moment with a gradual return of European customers since the summer. On the other hand, we are still missing out on British and North American customers, even with the cuts announced. The Americans are starting to book again, as are the British, especially for the school holidays at the end of October. On the other hand, Asia and Australia are still closed, and the Middle East is very light at the moment.
With the growth in teleworking and the use of video-conferencing, a significant reduction in business travel is expected. What are your estimates for this market?
P.-O. B. - Although we know that teleworking will play an increasingly important role, it is still too early to judge how habits will evolve and change. However, as far as business travel is concerned, we do not expect to return to 2019 levels and we will have to adapt to this new situation. Since September, we have seen a greater return of business travellers, as travel restrictions have been relaxed. It will take some time to determine whether the business travel patterns emerging from the pandemic will become the new norm.
The crisis has also led to an acceleration in digitisation and the use of contactless technology. What initiatives has your Group taken in this area?
P.-O. B. - In the midst of the crisis, we extended our online check-in service to all our customers, not just members of our loyalty programme, in order to push for a complete finalisation of the reservation before the customer goes to the resort. This means that less contact, less paper and shorter waiting timesThe big problem in airports and stations is that people arrive at the counter at the same time. For our Preferred customers, we have also worked on "paperless" solutions that mean they no longer have to go to the counter to go straight to their vehicle. This is a much-appreciated time-saver.
Where can your loyal customers access this new service?
P.-O. B. - We are in the process of deploying secure areas in stations and airports where passengers will find the location of the car indicated on screens. They will then find the key in the vehicle. They can also use the app to change cars if they wish. This service is currently available at six branches: Paris Orly, Lyon Saint-Exupéry, Nice Côte d'Azur and Toulouse Blagnac airports, and at Paris Gare de Lyon and Bordeaux St Jean railway stations. We will continue to develop this offer by the end of the year, notably at Paris CDG, and then throughout next year.
Do you think the way cars are hired could change, particularly in light of companies' CSR objectives?
P.-O. B. - I remain convinced that short-term rental as it exists will continue. Admittedly, in Europe we have many more ways of getting around than in the United States or Australia, whether by train, plane or car. But it's a certainty that car hire will be part of the long-term future. Especially as we renew our fleet, it will become greener and greener.
How are you progressing with your fleet?
P.-O. B. - Three or four years ago, we started offering hybrid vehicles - rechargeable and non-rechargeable - and then electric vehicles. And now we're back, our "low emission" fleet represents 20 % of our fleetwith a full range of electric vehicles. This section will grow month by month, as our fleet is renewed. This greening of the fleet is being pushed forward in particular by the LOM law. But it will be a long process. Take recharging stations, for example: there are only 50,000 of them in France, compared with the 100,000 that were expected. The infrastructure isn't there yet. And, it has to be said, demand continues to grow, as more and more people test the technology.
So it's more a question of demand than supply?
P.-O. B. - Our customers are interested in the electrical experiences we can offer. Electric vehicles remain an alternative, rather than a demand. As we can see from the invitations to tender we issue to our B2B customers, electric categories are not in demand for short-term hire. We shouldn't forget that when calculating their carbon footprint, companies include their own fleet of vehicles, which is in the process of becoming greener, but short-term hire remains outside this calculation method. This also explains why this shift will take time to materialise.
