ESTABLISHMENT OF HERTZ

John Daniel Hertz

Hertz was founded in 1918 by Walter L. Jacobs, and the company was headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Initially, the company offered to rent twelve Ford T vehicles. In five years, the number has increased fifty times, so the company had up to six hundred cars. Investors became interested in the company and in 1923 it was bought by John Daniel Hertz, a Jewish businessman with family ancestors in Slovakia, specifically in the village of Sklabiňa near Martin.

In 1926, General Motors bought the company from Hertz.

From America, the car rental company spread to Europe in the 1950s. The first European operation was launched in 1950 in France.

Hertz began operations in the Czech Republic in 1989.

HERTZ GLOBAL HOLDINGS, INC.

At the beginning of the 21st century, in 2002, Hertz began car rental in the Chinese market, becoming the world’s first company to operate in this segment in the Chinese market. Three years later, at the end of August 2005, Hertz had a fleet of 426,000 cars. Since 2006, the portfolio of cars on offer has expanded to include eco-friendly, fuel-efficient vehicles, when the company began offering the Toyota Prius for rent, the world’s first mass-produced gas and electric hybrid vehicle.

Hertz is the second largest car rental company in the United States with 150 locations worldwide. Not only does it run a car rental company under the Hertz brand, but also under the Dollar and Thrifty brands. In addition, it operates in more than ten thousand franchise locations worldwide.

The premium brand is the Hertz brand with the highest standard of services and vehicle models, complemented by Dollar & Thrifty and also the European brand FireFly focused on clients in the field of tourism. Hertz is the dominant brand known for the unique quality of its services and products. Car rental customers are both individuals and local and international companies for private and corporate rentals. Leasing and insurance companies are also special customers for replacement cars.

HERTZ IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC AND SLOVAKIA

The car rental company operating car rental services under the Hertz brand was established in what was then Czechoslovakia on September 1st, 1989. Immediately after its birth, the company employed a total of 15 workers in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The first branch was opened at Prague Airport, followed by an establishment at the Palace Hotel in Prague and at the Forum Hotel in Bratislava. In May 1991, a Hertz branch was opened at Bratislava Airport. One of the important days in the life of the company was the grand opening of the location on Karlovo náměstí in May 1992.

In 1993, we established an office in Brno, which provides Hertz services for a large part of Moravia. Since 1995, its employees have also operated the office at Tuřany Airport.

In 1995, we started operating a separate branch at the airport in Ostrava – Mošnov and since 2009 through the agency also in Liberec.

In 2013, we opened a new corporate branch in České Budějovice.

After the division of the republic, our company was divided operationally and legally from May 1, 1993 into Czech and Slovak parts.

The car rental fleet has developed and changed over the years. The company started its activities with twenty Audi cars, currently we offer Škoda, Ford, Renault, Hyundai, Opel, Citroën, Volkswagen, Peugeot, Volvo and Mercedes-Benz vehicles. Around 550 vehicles are operated in the Czech Republic, and another 100 vehicles in Slovakia. Autopůjčovna Hertz is active in the Slovak Republic within the company Hertz Autopožičovňa s.r.o.

Since 2017, we have opened a location of the low-cost FireFly, Dollar and Thrifty brands at Prague Airport, which are mainly focused on lower groups of cars for tourist clients.

We are introducing new products and technologies that enable rentals 24/7 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week). Since 2020, these products include Hertz 24/7 carsharing for corporate customers.