How Rental Car Companies Are Saving Money by Automating Contactless with MooveTrax

The car rental industry has changed dramatically over the past few years. Customers expect convenience, speed and flexibility, while rental companies are under constant pressure to reduce operating costs without compromising security or customer service.

Having experienced the traditional rental process myself, I understand just how frustrating it can be. I once waited nearly two hours to rent a vehicle. First, I stood in line to speak with a clerk. Then I waited for someone to become available to walk me to the vehicle. Finally, I had to join another queue before leaving the lot while another staff member confirmed I had the correct car.

That experience made me realize that the biggest inefficiency in car rentals isn't driving the vehicle—it's waiting on people.

This is exactly the problem that contactless automation with MooveTrax is designed to solve.

The Hidden Cost of Traditional Car Rentals

Most people assume staffing is the biggest expense for a rental company. While payroll is significant, many operators overlook another major cost—the office itself.

Traditional rental businesses often maintain a customer-facing office primarily because customers need somewhere to:

• Wait for staff
• Collect keys
• Complete identity verification
• Ask where the vehicle is parked
• Receive pickup instructions

When your entire rental process becomes automated, much of that office space becomes unnecessary.

Instead of paying for reception areas, front desk operations and multiple staff shifts, companies can operate with a much leaner business model.

Why Traditional Rentals Need So Many Staff

A conventional rental involves several manual steps.

Typically, a customer:

• Waits to check in.
• Waits again for someone to locate the vehicle.
• Receives the keys.
• Waits at the exit while another employee confirms they have the correct vehicle.

Every one of those steps requires employees.

For companies that don't employ staff around the clock, another problem appears—they simply cannot offer true 24/7 rentals. Every booking outside business hours becomes a missed opportunity.

How MooveTrax Automates the Entire Pickup Process

Rather than replacing one step, MooveTrax automates almost the entire customer journey.

After booking, the renter receives a unique secure URL. Since only that customer receives the link, it immediately provides the first layer of security.

Before revealing the vehicle's location, rental companies can require optional verification such as:

• A photo of the renter's driver's licence
• A selfie for identity verification

Once the customer reaches the vehicle, additional security checks can be configured.

For example, the system can request:

• A photo of the licence plate alongside the renter
• AI verification confirming it is the same individual
• A photo of the vehicle's interior before allowing the engine to start

These steps are optional, allowing operators to tailor security based on their own policies.

Finding the Car Without Staff Assistance

One surprisingly common support request is simply finding the vehicle.

MooveTrax removes this entirely.

Customers can:

• View the exact vehicle location
• Open navigation directly from their phone
• Use the "Honk Horn" feature if they're in a busy parking lot

Instead of searching rows of parked cars or asking employees for directions, renters can walk directly to the correct vehicle.

Even better, the wrong vehicle won't unlock, providing another safeguard against pickup mistakes.

Keys Stay Inside the Vehicle

Because access is controlled digitally, there's no need for staff to hand over keys.

The renter simply retrieves the keys from inside the vehicle.

When the rental ends, the customer leaves the keys where they found them.

Rental companies can configure the vehicle to automatically lock:

• A set number of minutes after returning to the lot
• A certain time after the booking ends
• Or both

This removes another manual task that traditionally required employees.

The Biggest Savings Go Beyond Payroll

In my opinion, many rental operators underestimate where the real savings come from.

Reducing front desk staff is only part of the equation.

They also save on:

• Office overhead
• Reception areas
• Multiple staffing shifts
• Customer support for locating vehicles
• Customer support for key collection
• Manual pickup verification

Customers also appreciate not wasting time.

Nobody enjoys standing in queues waiting for employees to become available.

Instead of spending an hour or more collecting a vehicle, renters can arrive, verify themselves, unlock the correct car and drive away.

That creates a much better customer experience.

Contactless Rentals Open the Door to 24/7 Business

One of the biggest advantages is continuous operation.

Large rental companies often employ staff 24 hours a day simply because someone has to be available for pickups and returns.

With MooveTrax, much of that requirement disappears.

Smaller operators benefit even more.

Many independent rental businesses currently operate only during business hours because staffing overnight isn't financially practical.

Once contactless automation is introduced, those same businesses can accept bookings around the clock without employing overnight staff.

This effectively expands operating hours without dramatically increasing operating costs.

Scaling Becomes Much Easier

Growing a rental fleet traditionally means hiring more employees.

More vehicles usually require:

• More customer service staff
• Larger offices
• Additional administrative support

Contactless automation changes that equation.

Once the operational processes are established, rental companies can scale far more efficiently.

Cleaning and vehicle maintenance still require people, but customer handovers no longer increase proportionally with fleet size.

That makes growth significantly more sustainable.

Customer Preferences Are Changing

Convenience has become a deciding factor when choosing a rental company.

People increasingly expect services to work on their own schedule rather than the business's schedule.

I've even spoken with a renter who told me she now chooses only contactless rental companies after contracting COVID during a previous rental experience involving staff interactions.

While not every customer shares that concern, it highlights an important point.

Some renters actively prefer minimal human contact for health, privacy or convenience reasons.

Businesses that offer a seamless contactless experience are increasingly becoming the preferred choice.

What About Security?

One misconception is that contactless means less secure.

In reality, MooveTrax allows multiple layers of verification before the vehicle is ever started.

Operators can require:

• Secure customer-specific access links
• Driver's licence verification
• Selfie verification
• AI identity matching
• Vehicle licence plate confirmation
• Interior vehicle photos

When configured correctly, the chances of the wrong customer collecting the wrong vehicle become extremely small.

The occasional issue usually comes down to operational errors—for example, staff accidentally parking two identical vehicles next to each other and forgetting to secure one correctly—rather than flaws in the technology itself.

The Biggest Objection Is the Upfront Cost

The most common hesitation I hear isn't about security or customer acceptance.

It's the initial investment.

Installing MooveTrax typically costs around $300–500 per vehicle, along with an ongoing subscription of approximately $15 per vehicle each month.

At first glance, that can seem expensive.

However, many operators focus only on the purchase price without calculating the long-term savings from reduced staffing, lower office overhead, fewer support calls and the ability to operate 24/7.

When viewed over the lifetime of a vehicle, the economics often become much more compelling.

Who Benefits Most?

Interestingly, smaller rental companies are often the quickest to adopt contactless automation.

Many start by equipping just a few vehicles with MooveTrax.

Once they experience the operational efficiencies firsthand, they realise they can expand their fleet without dramatically increasing overhead.

Larger rental companies tend to be more cautious because the initial investment across hundreds or thousands of vehicles is substantial.

Ironically, those larger fleets often have the most to gain once they experience the cost savings and operational efficiencies at scale.

Final Thoughts

Contactless automation isn't simply about replacing a receptionist with technology.

It's about rethinking how the entire rental process works.

By removing queues, reducing manual tasks, enabling 24/7 operation and giving customers a faster, more convenient experience, MooveTrax helps rental companies lower operating costs while making their business easier to scale.

From my perspective, the biggest advantage isn't that contactless rentals eliminate staff. It's that they eliminate unnecessary waiting, repetitive manual processes and the hidden overhead that traditional rental models have accepted for decades.

For rental companies looking to grow efficiently while delivering a modern customer experience, contactless automation is no longer just an innovative feature—it's becoming a competitive advantage.