Amtrak tie-ins with rental car agencies

[SouthernRailway]

Does Amtrak have any tie-ins with rental car agencies to serve its remote stations--particularly ones that have trains arrive at off hours and are far from airports?

I'm heading to Greenville, SC on the Crescent. I have elite status with National Rental Car, so that's my choice. But the closest Enterprise location to the Amtrak station doesn't open until way after the train arrives. So I guess I just get off the train, take Lyft or Uber to the airport, and pick up a car there?

Am I missing something? These small stations in remote locations surely are a market worth serving for some type of rental car agency, so this an unmet need.

[R36 Combine Coach]

Metro-North already has a tie-in program with Enterprise (meet the train and pickup) at some stations, including West-of-Hudson, especially areas with limited or no local transportation.

[eolesen]

Call Enterprise - maybe they'll work something out to have someone meet the train. They seem to be a customer focused company.

[Tadman]

See if they have Uber or Lyft. That was my biggest frustration when I'd ride the Wolverine to Jackson for meetings at the steel mill there. Arrive 10pm, only option was the small taxi operation that mostly ferries old folks to the hospital and visitors to the Prison. They were dirty and expensive.

[Jeff Smith]

I would check the station page on Amtrak.com to see if there's any info; barring that, do a Google check, trip advisor, etc.

I also found an interesting site today, which seems like it has good info but is up to you or anyone else to verify independently: https://amtrakguide.com/

[Westernstar1]

Mr. Smith's link, above, is interesting. I found the listing of Amtrak station information, under each state, useful.

TRAINS magazine, back in 2010, had a list of Amtrak stations with car rental desks inside the stations. There are, supposedly, 19 such Amtrak stations with car rental desks inside the station. I tried to find such a list on the internet, but no such luck.

I have used the Hertz desk inside the Amtrak Whitefish, MT a number of times. Very convenient. Also, not an Amtrak station, but I have used the National car rental desk inside the train station in Jasper, Alberta. However, there could be a problem with car rental desks not being open if a train gets into the station during the wee hours.

WS

[ThirdRail7]

So I guess I just get off the train, take Lyft or Uber to the airport, and pick up a car there?

It isn't a rental agency but if you use Lyft to take you to a rental agency, there is a small discount if you're a new user.

AMTRAK AND LYFT ANNOUNCE RIDESHARE PARTNERSHIP

Connecting communities throughout the nation
WASHINGTON – Amtrak and Lyft, the fastest growing rideshare company in the U.S., are making it easier to go more places. We know most trips don’t start or end at an Amtrak station. This exciting partnership with Lyft is one of the ways we are working to make it easier for travelers to get where they’re going in a safe, comfortable and convenient way.

Beginning today, customers can use the Amtrak mobile app to access the Lyft app to request a ride. New users of Lyft will receive $5 off each of their first four Lyft rides by using the promo code AMTRAKLYFT. Lyft operates in more than 360 communities across the U.S., covering 80 percent of the U.S. population and reaching 97 percent of Amtrak riders. This partnership allows for a seamless end-to-end travel experience from your doorstep to an Amtrak station.

“We are focused on improving the customer experience, and this is one way we are working to make your entire journey as seamless and enjoyable as possible,” said Jason Molfetas, Executive Vice President for Marketing and Business Development for Amtrak.

“We’re looking forward to working with Amtrak. As a fixture of American travel, Amtrak makes it simple and convenient for passengers, something Lyft feels passionately about as well,” said David Baga, Chief Business Officer for Lyft, “Both companies have a long-standing commitment to supporting communities we serve and we’re excited to grow together.”

As two leaders in transportation, Amtrak and Lyft are excited about this partnership because it offers immediate benefits to travelers – and it’s just the beginning. We both share a commitment to improving the travel experience and connecting with the communities we serve. Stay tuned as Amtrak and Lyft build on this partnership across the 46 state Amtrak network.

Considering Amtrak has bonus guest reward points with a few agencies, they may be agreeable to meeting the train with a rental. Currently, Hertz has 4x the points per day.

https://www.amtrak.com/guestrewards/way ... ar-rentals

[Arborwayfan]

I am glad to hear that about Metro North. It's a good idea.

[Westernstar1]

I located the TRAINS magazine article on the 19 train stations, in both the US and Canada, that have a car rental desk within the station. The list is from a 2010 issue of TRAINS, so most likely there have been some additions or deletions since then. I noticed the list doesn't include the National car rental desk at the Jasper, AB, train station.

CHICAGO
EAST GLACIER, MT
ESSEX, MT
FLAGSTAFF, AZ
FORT WORTH, TX
LOS ANGELES
MONTREAL
NEW HAVEN, CT
ORLANDO, FL
PHILADELPHIA
SANTA FE, NM (not served by the SWC)
ST PAUL-MINNEAPOLIS
TORONTO, ONT
TRUCKEE, CA (not sure about Truckee)
VANCOUVER, BC
WASHINGTON, DC
WHITEFISH, MT
WILLIAMSBURG, VA
WILMINGTON, DEL

WS

[Greg Moore]

Albany, NY has a National Desk inside the station and I've seen signs now for I think Hertz return (but no desk).

[SouthernRailway]

Thanks, everyone.

I've now rented cars twice when I've arrived by Amtrak. This involves a drive from the train station to pick up a car at the airport, at least at my destination.

Sounds like Lyft to the airport is the way to go in this situation and I guess with such low numbers of people taking Amtrak and then getting a rental car, rental car agencies in smaller cities figure it's not worth the bother. Unfortunate.

[Jeff Smith]

I'd add a note of caution, if I haven't already: make the reservation at least a day in advance. A couple of years ago, I took the Star from NYP to ORL. I decided that morning I'd rent a car, and made the reservation on the Hertz app. Got off the train, saw the Hertz rep at the desk, a short line, went to the rest room, came out, the rep was gone, and Hertz was like, we see the reservation, but rented out all of the cars, too late, no we can't come pick you up. I only used them for a corporate loyalty program, boy, was I pissed. Had to take a cab instead.

[Tadman]

I'd add a note of caution, if I haven't already: make the reservation at least a day in advance. A couple of years ago, I took the Star from NYP to ORL. I decided that morning I'd rent a car, and made the reservation on the Hertz app. Got off the train, saw the Hertz rep at the desk, a short line, went to the rest room, came out, the rep was gone, and Hertz was like, we see the reservation, but rented out all of the cars, too late, no we can't come pick you up. I only used them for a corporate loyalty program, boy, was I pissed. Had to take a cab instead.

I find the car rental companies to be miles behind the other travel-oriented companies like airlines, hotels, with regard to customer service and friendliness. They might as well have a sign out front that says "we are going to try to screw you, and we won't even kiss you first".

[jonnhrr]

This was a while ago, but once I took Amtrak to Worcester MA (back when the Inland Route was still running) and the car rental company (I think it was Avis) provided a taxi that took me to Worcester Airport where I picked up the rental car, and the rental company paid for the cab. At that time Worcester Airport (KORH) had few to no commercial flights so maybe they were trying to drum up business by catering to train passengers. I don't know if this arrangement still exists.

[Greg Moore]

Atlanta used to have a dedicated phone IN the station for Hertz.Long gone. But, if you take a cab to the Buckhead Marriott and get your rental car there, they will reimburse you (in one direction) for the cost of the cab ride up to I think $20. I used to do that on a regular basis.

I made the mistake one year of deciding to do business with the Enterprise rental car franchise about a mile from the station (for me, walking distance) other than the thrill of a car with literally 12 miles on the odometer, the experience was wretched and Hertz got my business back.