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Updated RecentlyWheelchair Getaways vs Payless Car Rental Franchise Comparison
Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Wheelchair Getaways vs Payless Car Rental including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.
Start-Up Costs and Fees |
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| Investment | $40,000 - $112,000 | $217,900 - $6,300,000 |
| Franchise Fee | $17,500 | $15,000 - $500,000 |
| Royalty Fee | $550/van/yr. | 4-5% |
| Advertising Fee | - | - |
| Year Founded | 1988 | 1971 |
| Year Franchised | 1989 | 1971 |
| Term Of Agreement | 10 years | 5 years |
| Term Of Agreement | 10 years | 5 years |
| Renewal Fee | $5K | $2.5K |
Business Experience Requirements |
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| Experience | - | |
Financing Options |
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| In-House/3rd Party | In-House/3rd Party | |
| Franchise Fees | No/No | No/Yes |
| Start-up Costs | No/No | No/Yes |
| Equipment | No/No | No/Yes |
| Inventory | No/No | No/Yes |
| Receivables | No/No | No/No |
| Payroll | No/No | No/No |
Training & Support |
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| Training | - | Ongoing training available as needed |
| Support | Newsletter, Meetings, Toll-free phone line, Internet, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperatives | Newsletter, Meetings, Toll-free phone line, Grand opening, Internet, Security/safety procedures, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperatives |
| Marketing | Co-op advertising, Ad slicks, National media, Regional advertising | National media |
| Operations |
Franchise can be run from home. 25% of all franchisees own more than one unit Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 3 Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed. (100% of current franchisees are owner/operators) |
47% of all franchisees own more than one unit Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 4 - 20
Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed. (75% of current franchisees are owner/operators) |
Expansion Plans |
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| US Expansion | Yes | - |
| Canada Expansion | No | No |
| International Expansion | Yes | Yes |
Company Overviews
About Wheelchair Getaways
In 1921 the Pennsylvania-based Van Artsdalen Express was a successful freight company. By 1972, it had been restructured to operate school buses instead of trucks. While working for the company, J. Edward Van Artsdalen noticed that people using wheelchairs were some of the most poorly served individuals in the transportation market. Motivated by this discovery, Van Artsdalen founded Wheelchair Getaways Inc. in 1988. The company rents wheelchair-accessible vans to individuals and groups. The company began franchising in 1989 and was purchased by J. Stewart and Jean Gatewood in 1994. Wheelchair Getaways is now based in Versailles, Kentucky and owned by Richard Gatewood and Moon Ko.
About Payless Car Rental
Payless Car Rental was established in 1971 in Spokane, Washington, by Les Netterstrom and his wife, Dusty. By 1982, their small two-location car rental business had grown to almost 100 franchises and one corporate-owned location. In 1983, the 150-location company changed its name to Payless Car Rental System Inc. In 1989, Netterstrom sold the company to a Taiwanese investment group. Eighty percent of the privately held company's franchise units are conversions; 47 percent of the franchisees own multiple locations.