Magazine for the professional car and truck rental industry.
Issue link: https://autorentalnews.epubxp.com/i/236613
FOSTERING SECURITY THROUGH TECHNOLOGY Through its newly launched security committee, ACRA supports technology that helps car rental operators be proactive with the security of their businesses. T THE AMERICAN CAR RENTAL MARKET IS BELIEVED TO have started in 1916 — and the only technology back then was used to track the distance traveled and to charge 10 cents a mile. Before World War II, the f rst reservation system came about when telegraphs were installed in rental booths at railroad stations so travelers could "wire ahead" to their destination and reserve a car. Expansion after World War II saw the transition from rail depots to the airports. While the business of car rental has grown, has the basic rental transaction evolved? At its core, it's the same transaction that took place in 1916, but it has def nitely changed. Today, with the Internet and smartphones, rental car transactions can take place anytime and anyplace. Paperwork is handled virtually by using tablets and electronic signatures. Tens of billions of dollars in rental car assets are on the roadways of America every day, and technology allows us to know a tremendous amount about those assets: where they are traveling, what tolls they are using, if they are running a traffc light and even if they have had an accident. But what do we know about the renter behind the wheel? A driver's license might look OK — but is it? Sometimes the car rental customer is actually someone using the latest high-tech counterfeit documents available online or through word of mouth. Over the past few years, and at the Car Rental Show, we've seen technology that verifes the authenticity of a license as well as companies that have developed models looking at various aspects of driver risk to help better price their product. 6 January/February 2014 AUTO R ENTAL N EWS Every year, we hear from J.D. Power that speed and effciency drive customer satisfaction. Is the industry taking advantage of tools that help the process? Today, the car rental industry is experiencing higher customer use of debit cards, yet those cards may or may not provide the information needed for a safe rental transaction. Credit card companies use what's known as knowledge-based authentication, asking questions about prior addresses, phone numbers, relatives, vehicles and more to help authenticate their cardholder. That technology can be leveraged today at the time of reservation, at a kiosk or a counter to help authenticate and validate a renter's identity and address. For many car rental companies, "the way we've always done it" may no longer be enough to remain competitive. If those in the industry are not leveraging new tools and services to match and meet the needs of the modern-day renter, they may not be around going forward. ACRA has launched a security committee that is addressing the many issues that affect all its members, including identity fraud and subsequent rental car theft and conversions. ACRA is reviewing and working to amend legislation that renders the car rental industry ineffective in protecting its assets. Going forward, you can be assured that ACRA intends to support technology that helps car rental operators be proactive with the security of their businesses.