What section of the Budget Rent A Car Administration Manual covers qualifying the customer?
Budget Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
Budget has adopted the following policies and strongly urges its licensees to do the same:
- Some people have disabilities that prevent them from driving, such as blindness or epilepsy. They will be allowed to rent vehicles from Budget when accompanied by a licensed driver. The person with a disability will be considered the "renter" under these circumstances and will bear the primary financial responsibility for the rental. The renter must present a qualified method of payment and otherwise meet generally imposed credit qualification requirements. The driver must have a valid driver's license and otherwise meet generally imposed driver qualification requirements. Budget will treat the driver as an "additional driver" on the Rental Agreement. Budget will not require the renter to document that he or she has a disability and will not inquire into the nature of severity of the disability.
- People with disabilities who use service animals will have the same access to Budget's goods and services as other customers. They will not be denied access to rental cards or shuttle buses. They will not be separated from their service animals at any time. Budget representatives will not require people with disabilities to provide nay type of identification or certification of an animal as having been trained as a service animal. Service animals may be used by people with different kinds of disabilities such as hearing, vision, and mobility impairments as well as seizure disorders.
- Budget shall waive any "additional driver" charges for one person accompanying a renter with a disability that would otherwise apply, and shall not impose any other surcharge on the renter in connection with actions required by this policy.
Source: Item 23 — RECEIPTS (FDD pages 80–426)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
Based on the 2025 Budget Rent A Car FDD, the specific section of the Budget Rent A Car Administration Manual that details the process for qualifying customers is not explicitly mentioned. However, the FDD does reference the 'Manual' as a source of standards, specifications, and operating procedures prescribed by Budget. It also mentions that Budget has policies in place to accommodate renters with disabilities, including waiving 'additional driver' charges and not requiring documentation of the disability.
Furthermore, the FDD states that Budget has adopted policies and strongly urges its licensees to do the same regarding people with disabilities who cannot drive or who use service animals. These policies include allowing people with disabilities to rent vehicles when accompanied by a licensed driver, considering the person with a disability as the renter, and ensuring they meet generally imposed credit qualification requirements. The driver must have a valid driver's license and meet generally imposed driver qualification requirements.
Given the absence of a direct reference to the customer qualification section in the provided excerpts, it would be prudent for a prospective franchisee to directly inquire with Budget about the specific sections of the Administration Manual that outline the customer qualification process. This inquiry should also cover any specific requirements or procedures for assessing a customer's ability to rent a vehicle, beyond the general credit and driver qualification requirements mentioned in the context of renters with disabilities.