McCalla

Different name, same course. That will be the only difference between the Jamaica U-Drive Association and its successor, the Jamaica Rent-A-Car Association Limited, according to its president William McCalla.

The name change was made official last Friday at a function marking the organisation's 40th anniversary, at Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in St Andrew.

McCalla said the new title was meant to give the 28-member body a fresh profile.

"We have found that a lot of people don't instantly recognise what we are about. They just don't understand what we stand for," McCalla told Automotives.

rent-a-car industry

Representing the interests of the rent-a-car industry is what the former Jamaica U-Drive Association has stood for for four decades. Its members include Avis, Island and Budget, three of the biggest car rental agencies in Jamaica.

The Jamaica U-Drive Association was formed in 1969, with members mostly operating in tourist areas such as Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, Negril and Port Antonio. The leisure industry remains their lifeline; McCalla says with this in mind, his administration continues to lobby the government for improved terms.

These include reducing the current 30 per cent duty concession on motor-vehicles coming in to the country.

"The tourism industry in the Caribbean is very competitive so we have to reduce prices (in rentals) and one of the ways to do that is a reduction in duties," McCalla said.

McCalla believes other areas that need urgent attention from the Government are: a cut in the US$25,000 Cost Insurance Freight bill for incoming vehicles, dismantling the illegal rent-a-car industry, and allowing dealers to bring in cars that carry engines with more than 2500 cc rating.

In a statement lauding the Jamaica U-Drive Association's contribution to tourism, Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett noted its concerns.

"Transport policies influence the quality, capacity, extensiveness and efficiency of transport which contribute to the competitiveness of tourism," Bartlett wrote.

Two years ago, Mcalla's predecessor Barry Jenoure, listed car theft as the U-Drive Association's biggest challenge. He said between 2004 and 2006, 83 stolen cars cost members over $100 million.

McCalla said that such incidents continue to be a concern.