June 27, 2016 Driving at a Discount

Volume 19 | Issue 2

For the last 27 years, Fox Rent-A-Car has built itself up as one of the world’s leading discount brands in airport travel. Actively managed

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Sean Busking, Chief Operating Officer for the company, sits down to talk about what the Fox brand means to airport travelers, and why both the present and future offer exciting new opportunities for this Los Angeles-based company.

Founded in 1989, Fox Rent-A-Car initially served as a small, niche provider to airports across the state of California for many years, building up its brand as a consistent provider of quality vehicles and roadside service. Things began to evolve in 2007, however, when the company decided to expand and add a presence in Seattle, marking the company’s 8th airport location at that point. The following year, they grew again, establishing operations in Las Vegas, Nevada and Salt Lake City, Utah, giving them ten locations across five states. And yet, it appeared the company was only getting started.

Explosive Growth
By 2014, Fox had undergone a significant shift in identity, growing itself further in not only the U.S., but internationally now, with 50 locations in 22 countries at this point. “The 21st century traveler has increasingly become more discerning and cost-conscious, and it was during this point that such began to really manifest itself across the airport travel industry,” says Busking, adding, “The value behind the Fox brand spread as a result, and we followed this new wave of success by adding new locations to accommodate demand for our services.”

Since then, it’s been more of the same, with Fox doubling the amount of global locations in the last two years to reach what is now 100 corporate and affiliate sites across 28 countries in 2016. But the growth for Fox, despite its seemingly explosive nature, has been one carefully cultivated by the company. “Our ability to provide superior value is central to our success, and when choosing to expand to a new location, we make sure that it is one that is in compliance with the standards we require.”

Because of this commitment, Busking says they have turned down a number of additional sites in the face of added growth due to the fact that certain locations simply didn’t meet the quality and service standards that Fox has become known for. “We really want Fox customers, no matter where they are in the world, to be able to enjoy the same quality and brand experience wherever they travel.”

The Fox Brand
Specifically, though, what kind of quality and brand experience does Fox deliver? “We look at ourselves as the biggest of the small rental agencies, and the smallest of the big,” says Busking, “What this means is that we can offer the same vehicle offering and servicing presence as any of our industry’s leading players, while providing a level of care and quality to our customers that they typically only can experience with smaller agencies.”

Basically, Busking says if you’re an airport traveler looking to rent a car, you’re going to get the best of both worlds when partnering with Fox Rent-A-Car. “We understand the stresses of traveling and have worked to make sure that our interaction with customers is if anything a highlight for them in their travels, and not a source of strain.”

One way the company recently enhanced its value offering even further was through its unveiling of its Fox Pay Now last year across both its corporate and affiliate locations. Fox Pay Now signaled a new prepaid rental program that enabled Fox to expand deep value discounts and rental options to those customers who desire the convenience of greater discounts and confirmed reservations when booking a rental car. “This offering served as a natural extension of our existing deep value discounts and rental options to more locations and customers,” says Busking, adding, “Ultimately, the move spoke to the fact that we are forever passionate and committed to providing our customers with convenient, value-driven rental options.”

Fox’s customer-centric programs are a large part of the company’s success thus far, but so too is their comprehensive stance they take towards the maintenance and around-the-clock servicing they are able to provide from each and every one of their locations. “We either have dedicated maintenance facilities on-site or have longstanding partnerships with local dealers who make sure our vehicles are properly serviced and ready to go at all times.” And yet, anyone whose driven a car will know that no matter the vehicle, at some point something is going to go wrong. “We understand that vehicles will run into issues from time to time on the road, and have set up a specific department within our company to manage and actively provide roadside assistance to any of our customers that need it.”

Fox’s philosophy of always keeping the customer and their needs at the center of everything they do is why the company was able to not only open their 100th location this year, but also begin laying the groundwork for future locations as well. “Success and growth are at an all time high for us, and I think it speaks to our longstanding desire to deliver for the customer,” he says.

This kind of customer awareness and corporate transparency is critical for travelers nowadays, and Busking says it’s something they’ll never back away from. “As the COO, I willingly publish my name and number on our website, and happily speak to our business partners and customers on a daily basis,” he says, adding, “Because without the customer, we are nothing, and we’re very proud of our recent growth because I think it speaks to our success in delivering on such over the years.”

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