Trifty Rent A Car
Thrifty Car Rental was founded in 1958. In 1987, the company completed an initial public offering of common stock and was acquired two years later, in 1989, along with Dollar Rent A Car, by Chrysler Corporation. In late 1997, Chrysler divested Thrifty Car Rental and Dollar Car Rental in an initial public offering as part of the Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE: DTG). In December 2002, DTG unveiled a new corporate platform; previously functioning as two separate operating companies (Dollar Rent A Car System, Inc. and Thrifty, Inc.), DTG now operates as a single company while continuing to support and grow both of its two strong brands independently.
Thrifty Car Rental is a value-oriented car rental company that has a significant presence both in the airport and local car rental markets, a marked difference from its major competitors who focus almost exclusively on the airport market. In the U.S., approximately 66% of its business is in the airport market, 34% in the local market.
In serving the airport market, Thrifty Car Rental operates "in terminal" in every major airport in Canada and Australia, and in 85 airport locations in the U.S., with the balance of its airport rental centers just off airport grounds. Thrifty Car Rental is also located in-terminal in most major cities in the Caribbean, and Central and South America where Thrifty Car Rental has a presence. Thrifty Car Rental also has a significant presence in the Middle East. Thrifty Truck Rental is an ancillary business.
Historically, Thrifty Car Rental has employed a franchise strategy to become a major global brand; however, the company in 2002 elected to shift to operating some major U.S. markets corporately. Today, more than 80% of its retail outlets in North America are franchised (and over 90% globally), owned by independent businesses that are licensed to use our trade names, systems and technologies. Each franchised location is required to maintain strict standards in facilities and service.
