MAYOR NEWSOM ANNOUNCES SFO GREEN RENTAL CAR PROGRAM
California Political Desk
April 15, 2008
San Francisco, CA –Today, Mayor Gavin Newsom was joined by members of the Airport Commission after they approved a new lease structure that provides financial incentives to those car rental agencies that ensure a baseline of rentals of environmentally efficient vehicles. Approval of this new lease policy positions San Francisco International Airport (SFO) as the national leader in green rental cars available to air travelers coming to the
region.
"Implementation of this aggressive strategy to green SFO´s rental fleet will greatly advance our fleet greening efforts and have a quantifiable impact on our local greenhouse gas emissions," said Mayor Newsom. "This market-based incentive for car rental companies is a model that other airports across the United States can and should emulate."
Beginning in 2009, rental car companies will be offered a voluntary incentive to ensure that at least 15% of their rentals meet an EPA rated of "17" (or higher). Cars that are included in this range include Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, and Ford Focus. Customers get a credit of $15 per transaction if they rent a vehicle with an EPA "18" (or higher)
environmental standard. Cars that meet this rating include: Toyota Prius, Honda Civic Hybrid, and Nissan Altima Hybrid.
"SFO strives to be an industry leader in sustainability efforts, and I am pleased that we are the first U.S. airport to create business and customer incentives to increase the fleet size and usage of green rental cars," said Airport Director John L. Martin.
At the end of the calendar year, each rental car company will submit their verified green vehicle transactions. In the event that they meet the threshold of 15%, a rental credit totaling 20% reduction in the company´s concession fee to SFO will be calculated and applied at the end of the year.
The 15% standard for rental car companies to capture was based on SFO research that assessed the availability of the cars in the market. SFO determined that 5%-plus increase in the portion of green rentals over the next 24 months (the term of the initial targets) is an attainable goal to move the car rental industry to change the way they are currently managing their fleets. The program will be in effect for two years. It will be
reevaluated at the end of 2010 to determine if the targets and incentives need to be adjusted.
The Airport Commission approved the lease structure at their meeting earlier this morning. The new rental car contract, once finalized, must be approved by the Board of Supervisors. The new leases will take effect at the end of this year (December 30, 2008).
region.
"Implementation of this aggressive strategy to green SFO´s rental fleet will greatly advance our fleet greening efforts and have a quantifiable impact on our local greenhouse gas emissions," said Mayor Newsom. "This market-based incentive for car rental companies is a model that other airports across the United States can and should emulate."
Beginning in 2009, rental car companies will be offered a voluntary incentive to ensure that at least 15% of their rentals meet an EPA rated of "17" (or higher). Cars that are included in this range include Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, and Ford Focus. Customers get a credit of $15 per transaction if they rent a vehicle with an EPA "18" (or higher)
environmental standard. Cars that meet this rating include: Toyota Prius, Honda Civic Hybrid, and Nissan Altima Hybrid.
"SFO strives to be an industry leader in sustainability efforts, and I am pleased that we are the first U.S. airport to create business and customer incentives to increase the fleet size and usage of green rental cars," said Airport Director John L. Martin.
At the end of the calendar year, each rental car company will submit their verified green vehicle transactions. In the event that they meet the threshold of 15%, a rental credit totaling 20% reduction in the company´s concession fee to SFO will be calculated and applied at the end of the year.
The 15% standard for rental car companies to capture was based on SFO research that assessed the availability of the cars in the market. SFO determined that 5%-plus increase in the portion of green rentals over the next 24 months (the term of the initial targets) is an attainable goal to move the car rental industry to change the way they are currently managing their fleets. The program will be in effect for two years. It will be
reevaluated at the end of 2010 to determine if the targets and incentives need to be adjusted.
The Airport Commission approved the lease structure at their meeting earlier this morning. The new rental car contract, once finalized, must be approved by the Board of Supervisors. The new leases will take effect at the end of this year (December 30, 2008).
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