Hertz teams with Uber

Lost in the big news about the $2 billion spinoff of Hertz' equipment-rental business was an equally surprising announcement of Hertz partnerships with ride-sharing giants Uber Technologies and Lyft.

Ride-sharing companies such as Uber and Lyft have taken business from Estero-based Hertz. But the recently announced partnerships suggest both can work together.

The scale of the Uber project so far is small. Hertz and Uber will partner in Los Angeles to provide Uber drivers with rental cars from off-airport locations that are staffed. The cars can be used for personal reasons or Uber business.

“Utilizing cars that are rotating out of our consumer rental fleet creates a model that works for Hertz and for Uber partners by providing them with well-maintained, good condition cars,” says John Tague, president and chief executive officer of Hertz Global Holdings, in a statement. “We consider this agreement to be largely complementary to our car rental business, and it enables us to leverage our fleet and distribution infrastructure to participate in the dramatic growth in the ride sharing, or e-hailing, segment.”

Hertz has conducted a pilot study with Lyft since November to provide users with rental cars from off-airport locations in Las Vegas and Denver. Now the partnership will extend to Los Angeles and San Francisco.

The ride-sharing deals with Uber and Lyft will also be extended to other undisclosed areas of the country, Hertz officials say.