Car hire firms not paying parking tickets

Since a new law was passed in Japan in 2006 that made the registered owner of a vehicle responsible for paying its parking fines, car hire firms in Japan have reportedly left millions of yen worth of parking tickets unpaid. Of the 3,300 rental agencies that hold membership in the All Japan Rent A Car Association, over 4,900 fines have gone unpaid in the last two years.

Some car hire companies have implemented systems of their own to assure that parking fines issued wheel a customer was deriving the car are paid by the customer and not the firm. The country’s National Police Agency has also stepped in and voiced concern that drivers may become less aware of their violations, and if penalized while driving a rental car, as of now they don’t lose any points from their licences.

As car hire companies don’t want to be left holding the bag on unpaid parking tickets, several firms such as the Toyota Rental and Leasing Group and Nippon Rent A Car have implemented their own systems to assure that the fine will be paid by the driver of the vehicle at the time of offence.

www.nipponrentacar.co.jp