THE independently owned, commercial vehicle hire franchise, Avis Van Rental in Richards Bay, celebrates its 20th birthday this month.

Opening its doors in 2002 at 59 Dollar Drive, Richards Bay, with a fleet of just seven vans and a staff complement of five, the organisation now boasts a fleet of more than 200 commercial vehicles and 32 permanent employees. Avis Van Rental in KZN’s north coast region has achieved this success through a controlled fleet and network expansion programme.

Owned and operated by Hilton and Karen Wheeler, and Caryn Scharneck, the company has grown its footprint to include branches in Richards Bay, Empangeni, Ulundi and Ballito.

Through this network, and in collaboration with other Avis Van Rental franchises nationally, the KZN north coast operation effectively services its clients’ needs, giving them a significant edge over competitors.

A variety of transport services

The business provides transport solutions from one day to 11 months through rentals of bakkies, vans and 4×4 vehicles to companies and individuals.
Customers benefit from this flexibility, handing back the vehicle at any time, hassle-free. There are no concerns regarding stringent FICA and NCA requirements for vehicle financing.

Avis vehicles are new model, low mileage, and regularly serviced and maintained. Furthermore, monthly rental is a tax-friendly consideration for business owners, and requires no capital outlay.

Avis Van Rental is committed to diversity in employment and promotion, as well as economic transformation, with a Level 1 BEE rating for the last four years.

‘Many of the staff are long-serving and loyal to the brand, enjoying direct relationships with our customers. These relationships are valuable as they are based on trust.’ Hilton Wheeler

Customer-centric focus

The success of this KZN franchise lies in its relationship with clients, some of whom have been renting vehicles from Avis Van Rental since its inception 20 years ago.

‘We have several long-standing corporate, municipal and utility-focused clients, as well as local companies and loyal credit card clients, to all of whom we owe our sincere thanks. Without them, we wouldn’t be where we are today.’ Hilton Wheeler

Linda Govender, Cebo Dumakude and Caryn Scharneck

‘We try, in everything we do, to live the Avis brand promise of We Try Harder and to exceed our clients’ expectations at every interaction. Our core brand values of honesty, empathy and humanity underpin everything we do for our clients.’ Co-director Caryn Scharneck

As part of the Avis family, Avis Van Rental clients can access the unique, fully integrated Total Mobility Solution nationally and internationally. This includes:

• Avis Fleet
• Avis Car Sales
• Avis Van Rental
• Avis Luxury Cars
• Avis Chauffeur Drive
• Avis Safari Rental

Of the four branches in the KZN north coast region, Richards Bay and Ballito offer bakkies, vans and 4×4 vehicles, while the Empangeni and Ulundi branches offer commercial and passenger vehicles.

‘We try to offer as broad a range of vehicle hire solutions as possible. The dual brand branches that offer passenger vehicles and vans experience high demand from our clients. We are grateful for their support.’ Emmanuel de Abrue, Empangeni branch manager

‘Monthly tracking of our customer satisfaction scores ensures we are always monitoring and measuring this important performance indicator. This keeps us focused on the most important part of the business – customer satisfaction.’Karen Wheeler

‘With the recent challenges of Covid-19, riots, floods, increasing fuel and food prices, and a severe vehicle shortage, Avis Van Rental is aware of the challenges our customers are facing, and the cost pressures on their respective businesses. We aim to continue offering the most cost-effective rental solution to our customers, as well as the ‘We Try Harder’ service we are known for. We’ll continue to do our best for our customers through these challenging times.’ Hilton Wheeler