[blindlaw] Can the blind rent a vehicle

Ford, Tim (DHS-OLS) TFord at dhs.ca.gov
Mon Jul 24 10:57:02 CDT 2006 

This is an issue upon which I believe reasonable minds could differ.
You could have the vehicle rented under the name of the older person,
the driver, and thus save the money with no hassle.  I appreciate that
avoids the issue, but sometimes the practical solution is the best one.

I became curious on this young driver surcharge, since I have never
faced that, so I called my local Enterprise office.  They told me they
charge $10.00 a day for any listed driver that is between the age of 21
and 25.

Each listed driver must qualify on their own, so it is not a factor of
the age of the person renting the car.

Under the Enterprise policy, charging you extra due to your age would
not be consistent.

Now perhaps they would say that the age of both the renter and all
drivers is important, since the renter is the one taking over-all
responsibility, and the renter could affect what happens to the vehicle,
such as where it is taken, where it is left, etc.  The older driver you
had may not care because they know that you are the one with the
responsibility, and so they may treat the vehicle differently than if
they were the one on the hook.

So I can see the point of charging a younger renter a surcharge.
Frankly, I am surprised they would rent to you at all, so perhaps in
this situation you are getting a benefit that a sighted person would
not.

However, I suspect that if you talk with a regional or headquarters
office, on the special rules for a blind person being the renter, they
may agree that you should not be charged extra.  

So again, I can see this being supportable both ways.  I certainly do
not see it as a clear cut case of discrimination.  Enterprise would be
charging an extra ten bucks a day for the under age person.  If other
companies are similar, this is not a bad tradeoff.

Sincerely,
Tim Ford




-----Original Message-----
From: blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org]
On Behalf Of McCarthy, Jim
Sent: Monday, July 24, 2006 8:28 AM
To: NFBnet Blind Law Mailing List
Subject: Re: [blindlaw] Can the blind rent a vehicle


Is it ok for you to pay this fee if you provide a younger driver?
Sometimes I have talked them out of that saying I am vouching for the
person and sometimes I could not.  I really do not know the equitable
answer. Jim

-----Original Message-----
From: blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org]On
Behalf Of Rod Alcidonis
Sent: Monday, July 24, 2006 11:10 AM
To: NFBnet Blind Law Mailing List
Subject: Re: [blindlaw] Can the blind rent a vehicle


Jim, I tried to make a reservation, and I encountered the same
difficulty. In my case, as the renter, I am 24, and they insisted on
imposing a young drivers fee even though my driver is over the required
age of 25. Since I won't be doing any driving, it is ridiculous for me
to be paying such fee!

Rod
----- Original Message -----
From: "McCarthy, Jim" <JMcCarthy at nfb.org>
To: "NFBnet Blind Law Mailing List" <blindlaw at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, July 24, 2006 10:59 AM
Subject: Re: [blindlaw] Can the blind rent a vehicle


> There are a couple of settlements that the NFB was involved in during 
> the
early to middles 1990's that require the process to occur as Tim
describes. I believe that the DOJ worked on these and they have
basically made their way through the community of rental agencies.  One
of the issues that I think remains unsettled is whether the driver can
be someone less than 25 years of age.  Many rental car companies assess
substantial fees on drivers less than 25 years of age.  Is it right to
assess the fee if I (just turned
40) provide as my driver someone who is 22.
> Jim McCarthy
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org 
> [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org]On
> Behalf Of Ford, Tim (DHS-OLS)
> Sent: Monday, July 24, 2006 10:34 AM
> To: NFBnet Blind Law Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [blindlaw] Can the blind rent a vehicle
>
>
> I have rented a vehicle on a number of occasions, but I do not know if

> this is legally mandated.
>
> On a few of those occasions, the folks at the local office of the 
> rental car company had to find out from their headquarters office that

> it was okay to rent to me.  IN the past few years, I have not had any 
> such trouble, so the rental car firms appear to have all communicated 
> to their local offices how to deal with the situation.
>
> So it now seems accepted that the rental car can be secured in the 
> name of the blind person, and the only additional requirement is that 
> you present to them the driver.  The company will make a copy of the 
> drivers license of the driver, and that is about it.
>
> My recommendation is that you call ahead to the office you are 
> intending to go to, explain that you are blind, and will be bringing 
> the driver with you at the time of check-in.  Be sure and state that 
> you are going to be the one renting the car, and it will be rented 
> using your credit card.  Otherwise, you may end up with a surprise 
> when you get to the counter, when they try and have the driver rent 
> the car on their credit card.
>
> So calling ahead will allow the company to check with their regional 
> or headquarters office if they are unsure.  Get the name of who you 
> spoke with, in case that person is not there when you show up.  It is 
> also a good idea to ask in advance who you should check in with when 
> you physically get to the rental car office, being sure to include 
> with your question whether that person will be there at the time you 
> are planning to come in.
>
> Again, the few times I had this problem were all over 10 years ago, 
> and not since.  I rent a car under my own name at least once a year.
>
>
> Sincerely,
> Tim Ford
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org]
> On Behalf Of Rod Alcidonis
> Sent: Monday, July 24, 2006 4:37 AM
> To: NFBnet Blind Law Mailing List
> Subject: [blindlaw] Can the blind rent a vehicle
>
>
> Hello everybody:
>
>    Can someone please comment on the legal requirements for a blind 
> person to rent a vehicle, besides having a driver available? Thanks.
>
> Rod
>
>
>
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