Hire car customers paying more to use the M50

Rental car companies are imposing increased charges for customers using the Irish M50 tollway, in some instances by up to 64 percent more than for private drivers. Rental firms have claimed that the move is necessary to cover the costs involved with the payment and processing of the charges.

The Irish Times reports of one holiday driver who, while on a holiday at home from the UK, made a complaint to car hire operator Europcar after being stung for an additional €1.93 each way on the motorway on top on the standard €3 toll. Europcar’s commercial manager Gerry McDermott said that in such circumstances where the rental operator is tasked with processing and paying toll charges on behalf on any third party that an administration fee is applied. This practice is applied to all tollways and not just the M50. The main reason, claims McDermott, is that most car hire customers are from overseas and often do not have the necessary understanding of or access to payment facilities, meaning that Europcar is effectively making their journey easier.

Responding to suggestions that the applied fees were relatively high, Mr McDermott claimed that the charges covered manpower, processing fees and VAT, which are considered along with actual customer rental fees and associated toll charges. Europcar, which along with National Car Rental and Alamo forms part of the ICR Motor Group, say they have no choice but to pass on to customers the additional charges.

Car Rental Council of Ireland’s Paul Redmond confirmed that all car hire companies have an account with BetEire Flow.com, which tracks fleet registration on a daily basis. The previous system saw thousands of pounds in unpaid charges from travellers unaware of payment processing or deadlines, with the new process eliminating much of the confusion.