Smart Car Rental Launched in Texas

Texas is not the sort of place you would associate with small city cars. It is the land of giant trucks with giant cow horns on the grill being driven by giant men in giant hats. It is also the home of oil barrens so being eco-friendly is perhaps not a big priority.

Perhaps I've got the wrong idea about Texas which is apparently the home to a new Smart Car rental program. The cars are rented out by the hour and can be hired at short notice. They cost 19 cents a minute or $73.40 per day.



The scheme is being run by Daimler who ran a similar project in Ulm, Germany last year. Originally the cars were only available to Mercedes-Benz (who own Smart) employees but it was made available to all inhabitants last March.

The scheme is expected to be expanded to many more cities over the next few years. Traditional car hire and van rental companies have also shown an interest in providing small cars at their urban locations. Eventually electric cars may become the vehicle of choice for those exploring a new city. London already has several electric car hire companies and more are expected to follow.