Budget and Avis ban smoking in rental cars

First you couldn't smoke on planes. Then trains banned smoking. Now, you can't smoke in rental cars, at least, not if you rent from Avis or Budget. As of October 1, all cars in both rental companies' fleets will be non-smoking.

Avis and Budget say the policy came about in response to the needs of renters, citing a non-smoking car as the most-popular rental request. Cars that have been smoked in also require additional cleaning and are out of service longer, costing the companies more money. A spokesman for the Avis Budget Group says they expect some smokers to be upset with the new rules and to take their business elsewhere, but that they think overall the new plan will attract more customers than it will lose.
Avis and Budget will be the first major rental car companies to ban smoking entirely (others offer "non-smoking" cars but many don't guarantee them), though they are only instituting the ban among their North American fleet, not worldwide. Each car will undergo an inspection upon return and renters who have smoked in the vehicle will be charged a cleaning fee of up to $250.

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