Long established Naas-based company honoured with European award

Naas-based company Go Rentals were honoured with the “Flying Starter Award” at the recent Practical Car and Van Rental Conference and Awards held in the UK.   The company, which is celebrating 50 years in business this year, was given the award for the Best New Practical and Van Rental Franchise throughout Ireland and the UK. Go Rentals received the award on the back of recording the highest number of rental days on self-drive hire insurance across all new franchises in the previous 12 months.   It is a competitive part of the market, with almost 170 companies operating similar services with a Practical Franchise at present, with six new businesses having started in Ireland last year alone.   Established by the late Ray O’Brien in 1968, a well-known car dealer and businessman in Kildare, Go Rentals is now managed by his son, Colin O’Brien. The fleet of rental vehicles has risen substantially in recent years after good management helped the company survive through the recession, and they now have 160 vehicles in their stock in comparison to just 60 in 2013. Of those vehicles, 30pc are cars, while the rest are a combination of differently sized commercial vehicles.   Go Rentals operates with a team of five full-time employees and two part-time.   Managing Director of Go Rentals, Colin O’Brien, was presented with the award by Practical Car and Van Rental CEO Graham Lond at the gala event in The Marriot Hotel, Northampton, and a delighted Colin said; “We are honoured to receive the recognition which our team deserves and we look forward to many more years of providing a top quality service at competitive prices to our valued customers. It is a competitive market, but our willingness to offer great deals on daily or weekly rentals, with or without self-drive hire insurance, and our multi year leases across our range of cars and commercial vehicles means that we are continuing to grow. We might not be the biggest but we are certainly the best!”