Rent a vehicle to help to tackle climate change

Car-rental

Rent a vehicle to help to tackle climate change

Happy New Year to you all.

How often do we jump in the car to do a local errand, when we could walk? It can be very tempting when the weather’s a bit cold and bleak and there’s a car sitting outside the house.

But not only does every car journey add to the toxic gases in the atmosphere, we may also be getting less exercise than we should to stay healthy.

Owning and maintaining a vehicle, getting it regularly serviced, MOTd and keeping the fuel topped up can be a costly exercise and also short journeys in urban areas are often not helpful to fuel efficiency.

Inevitably the value of a car will depreciates over time and because technological innovation is advancing so rapidly older cars are rarely as economical or fuel efficient as newer models.

If we are serious about reducing global warning and helping to reverse climate change, we may need to not only change our habits to ensure that we throw away less and recycle more, but we may have to re-think our attitudes to car ownership.

Obviously, there will be some people who cannot manage without a car, either for health or work-related reasons.

However, for those who can reconsider, there is always the option of renting a vehicle for those occasions when a longer journey is necessary, especially where there is inadequate public transport as an alternative.

Renting means you will have a newer, more fuel-efficient vehicle because vehicle rental companies like Robertsons generally upgrade their fleet after three years.

However, you will also be assured that the rental is well-maintained and regularly serviced.

It may actually save you money and improve your health – as well as the health of the planet – if you rethink owning a car and switch to rental!

How to stay healthy on the road

How-to-drive-healthy

Helping drivers to stay healthy while on the road

Many of our vehicles are rented out for work but whether for work or leisure if you are planning a lot of long-distance or daily driving and you have to keep to a timetable, it can play havoc with your health.

However, there are ways of ensuring your health doesn’t suffer and, more importantly, that you are fit to drive since research has shown that thousands of accidents every year are caused by driver fatigue.

We have some tips for you:

Eat healthy

It is tempting and easy when you have to be on the road to pop into the nearest fast food outlet and either minimise the time it takes to eat it or, worse still, eat it while on the road. If you take the time to prepare some healthier snacks before you set off you and your body will benefit and you will still be able to meet your schedule.

Avoid caffeine

You may be tempted to resort to the quick stimulus of caffeine in tea and coffee, but that may well disguise how fatigued you really are and, as we have mentioned, driving while fatigued can be a killer. You may be surprised to learn that drinking plenty of water can re-energise you and prevent recurring fatigue.

Take a break

There is no substitute for a short stop and some fresh air (even when it’s raining), although obviously not by the side of the motorway! It can battle fatigue and revitalise your brain.

Pay attention to posture

On the subject of revitalising your brain, when you’re driving and have been on the road for some time you may have a tendency to slump in your seat.  There is some evidence that slumping and slouching can affect your mood and improving posture can boost both mood and energy levels.

The simple message is, pay attention to your health when you are driving and stay safe.

Happy New Year

Happy-New-Year

Happy New Year

We hope the New Year has started as well for you as it has here at Robertsons

We have welcomed a new manager at head office and have two potential new contracts.

As car sales have been reducing our car rentals have been increasing to the point where we are considering expanding our fleet.

More news on developments next month

Full means Full

Full-means-full

Full means full when returning a rented vehicle

It is stated in our rental agreement that vehicles will be supplied with a full tank and must be returned that way.

Most of our customers try to make sure that their rented vehicle is returned with a full tank of fuel, but sometimes they miscalculate.

There can be several reasons for this.

The first is, and this applies to diesel, when filling a tank, the liquid foams, in the same way as pouring a beer, a fizzy drink or champagne does.  So, the pump will click as full before it actually is.  The secret is to wait for the foam to settle, then continue to add fuel.

The second is that customers can miscalculate the amount of fuel a vehicle will consume on what may seem a relatively short journey.

All our vehicles should be returned to the depot where they were hired, so, for example, if a customer has been on a long journey and is, they think, fairly close to their destination, they may pull into a services station at, say, Ipswich to fill up.  However, they are then surprised to discover how much fuel the vehicle has consumed by the time they reach our Colchester depot. It can be as much as 3.2 litres.

Robertsons’ depots have their own fuel pumps, so a top up is easy to do and waiting until arrival at the depot will avoid these problems.

Customers will not be overcharged, we make very little profit on the fuel.  We do, however, understand that perhaps the prices at the pumps elsewhere, particularly at superstore petrol stations, are highly competitive and there is the added incentive that people can earn bonus points on their loyalty cards, which can be particularly useful at certain times of the year.

We do our best to ensure we have a good relationship with our customers and hope this advice will help avoid that niggling, and fairly common, disagreements that arises at a vehicle rental return.

Watch out for our December blog when we will have news of a special Christmas offer.

New Vehicles at Robertsons!

New-Vehicles-at-Robertsons

We have a new fleet of vehicles that have just arrived at Robertsons!

Peugeot 208 Active

Peugeot 208 Active

We have just taken delivery of 7 of these stylish 2016 plate Peugeot’s complete with a 1.6 diesel engine that boasts up to 80.7 miles per gallon EC combined, come with Air-con, electric windows, power steering, Bluetooth and central locking. Perfect for commuting to and from work, access is made easy with 5 doors, and comes complete with a 285litres of boot space.

Ford Transit (LWB 350)

We have also recently taken delivery of 4 of these brand new 2016 plate Ford transit 350 long wheel base vans, with power steering, central locking and a 2.2ltre diesel engine these vans have plenty of torque and make the ideal vehicle to help you move home or transport goods.

Ford-Tourneo

Ford Tourneo (9 Seater)

On top of that we also have taken delivery of 2 new 2016 plate Ford Tourneo 9 seater vans, perfect for trips out once again come complete with heated seats, Bluetooth, tinted windows, cruise control, air-con, power steering and electric windows. With a 2.2 litre diesel engine and side door access for you and 8 other passengers.

Ford Double Cab Van (9 Seater)

Last but not least we have taken delivery of some 9 seater DC vans, ideal again for seating up to 9 people, with central locking and power steering and with a powerful diesel engine which also allows for good fuel economy.

Double-Cab-Van

Here at Robertsons vehicle hire we are always ensuring that our vehicles are kept to the best standards, not only by having them regularly cleaned inside and out before and after use, but having them mechanically checked on a regular basis, as well as investing in the newest cars and vans allows us to make sure our vehicles not only look clean and well maintained but also have all of the latest safety features.

Why not take advantage of our great prices and get a quote for your car or van today by visiting https://www.robertsonvehiclehire.com/quote/ now.