Europcar Provides Touch Screen Mapping
Posted by Jonathan Elder
Europcar, the European leader in car hire, has introduced mapping technology available at its Heathrow Terminal 5 rental station. The touch-screen system, which allows customers to plan their trip, is the first of its kind for any car hire company in Europe or the world. It will be added to their car hire station all over Europe.
From August, travellers hiring a car at Heathrow T5 will be able to use Microsoft Surface – a 30-inch touch-screen built in to an interactive table – and software designed especially by Europcar to give customers a virtual guide to their location. It allows users to draw their planned routes using highly detailed maps provided by Microsofts’ search engine, Bing.
Europcar customers will be able to zoom in on locations, flip between screens and mark out a variety of points of interest, including hotels and museums, festivals, music venues and theme parks, all of which can be added to their itinerary.
The touch-screen also enables users to map out themed routes, whether that be wine buffs planning a tour of vineyards, or history lovers developing a route through castles, museums and other historical places. They can then print their itinerary, or send it direct to their smart phones or PDA using Bluetooth or wireless.
Danny Higgins, Head of eCommerce at Europcar, said: “We are constantly looking for ways of putting ourselves at the vanguard of the ultimate customer experience and this is just the start for Europcar embracing this exciting new technology. We pride ourselves on innovation and look forward to adding the Surface to our range of cutting edge products and services that all go toward helping make the customer’s journey as enjoyable as possible.”
The Surface-tables are being rolled out across Europe as well as in the UK, and will steadily appear across all of Europcar’s hire locations in the coming months.
Remember, if you are planning on driving to Europe, or hiring a car while on holiday, there are some important differences in laws and customs. Check the Guide to Driving in Europe pages and the information on compulsory equipment required for European driving. We also have a range of products for driving in Europe, such as spare bulb kits, warning triangles, first aid kits and more.
