Drive 365 uses SPEDA mini-grant to improve services | News

As luck would have it, the idea for Drive 365 Rent A Car came about in a car accident.

Co-owner Bruce Ping had recently been to one and found it difficult to find a rental car in Pulaski County. Ping also worked for a local dealer that was experiencing similar difficulties meeting its customers’ rental car needs. As the saying goes, where there’s a will, there’s a way—so Ping called a friend with a suggestion.

“Bruce called me out of the blue one day and asked if I wanted to start a car rental company,” said co-owner Jamie Woodall. “We saw a potential need for another rental business in Somerset. The more we talked to people, the more we learned that this could be a viable business that would give the Somerset community another option that this community hasn’t had in 30 years.”

And so in February, Drive 365 Rent A Car opened a location on Monticello Street with 27 cars in its fleet. It didn’t take long before 27 cars were no longer enough. Today, Drive 365 has more than 60 vehicles in its fleet, has hired its first employee and opened a satellite office in London, with plans to open a permanent location soon. Ping and Woodall quickly realized they were right – the demand is there.

But they also recognized that there was a need to serve customers in other ways outside of the Monticello Street location. For those who may have been in a car accident or are experiencing mechanical problems, getting to Drive 365 could prove challenging. So Ping and Woodall applied for and received a mini-grant from the Somerset-Pulaski Economic Development Authority (SPEDA) to purchase three iPad devices that would provide convenient service to customers wherever and however it would be of use to them.

“While we offer a pickup service to our customers, the iPads have helped us rent vehicles remotely,” Woodall explained. “For customers who may not be able to come to the office to pick up the vehicle due to an accident or whatever, we can also deliver to surrounding counties if possible. Our goal is to make the rental process as easy as possible.”

Although there are times when coming into the office is a must for a customer, this remote service option has significant growth potential, and that’s what excites Ping and Woodall the most. Woodall said the number of long-distance rentals has increased into the hundreds, and “we believe this could catch on in other cities across the state.”

Ping and Woodall were surprised at how quickly the company took off, especially considering that Drive 365’s growth relies entirely on word of mouth. They plan to begin marketing in the Somerset-Pulaski County area soon.

“Every day we hear, ‘We had no idea you were here,'” Woodall said. “There is plenty of room for further growth here in Somerset.”

Woodall said he is grateful to the SPEDA organization for offering a program that provides capital to help small businesses launch new initiatives that can spur growth, just as the iPads did for Drive 365.

“They help local businesses in our city thrive and become a necessity in our community,” Woodall said. “Without this option, some businesses may not reach the potential they would without the help of these mini-grants.”

No matter how quickly Drive 365 grows, Woodall said he and Ping are committed to keeping the customer at the heart of this much-needed service in the community.

“Bruce and I come from customer-focused business backgrounds,” Woodall said. “Our goal is to provide the best and most authentic customer service possible. We have the feeling that customer service is forgotten in companies today. We want this to be our main focus with every customer we meet. We want to make the rental process as smooth and easy as possible.”

To learn more about Drive 365 Rent A Car, call 606-451-3026 or visit https://drive365rentacar.com/ or follow @Drive365RentACarKY on Facebook.