Hertz: Puerto Rico Driver’s License Enough for Rentals

Hertz clarified some of its policies to explain that Puerto Rico driver’s licenses are sufficient for car rentals.

The company did so after an incident this month in which a Puerto Rican man was denied a rental after a Hertz employee demanded to see his passport instead of his license, CBS News reported.

“Since this incident occurred, we have taken multiple steps to ensure that our team is better trained on our identification policies,” Hertz CEO Stephen Scherr said.

“This includes rewriting a policy to be even more clear about the status of Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories, disseminating written and verbal communications from Hertz senior leadership to our field and call-center teams, and adding this topic to in-person field huddles.”

Scherr’s comments came in response to Jenniffer González-Colón, Puerto Rico’s congressional representative.

González-Colón wrote Scherr after Humberto Marchand was denied a Hertz rental vehicle May 10 at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport after showing his Puerto Rico driver’s license.

Hertz apologized to Marchand and refunded him for the car rental, CBS News reported.

In her letter to the CEO, González-Colón said it was “unacceptable that, more than 100 years after obtaining U.S. citizenship, Puerto Ricans still are discriminated against and treated like second-class American citizens.”

The representative called on Scherr to “consider implementing a company-wide educational campaign that adequately addresses this discrimination that far too many Puerto Ricans have experienced — with your business and others — to make certain it does not repeat itself.”

During the airport incident with Hertz, Marchand also claimed a Kenner, Louisiana, police officer said he would call “the border authorities” if the Puerto Rican man refused to leave.

A Kenner Police Department spokesman said the comment was not heard on body camera video from the encounter. It was unclear when the officer turned off the body camera after responding to the incident, CBS News reported.

Marchand, who filed a complaint, said the officer was being investigated internally.

Last month, a Puerto Rican family was not allowed on a Spirit Airlines flight because a toddler did not have his passport, which he did not need, CBS News reported.

That family then paid for a more expensive flight on Jet Blue to return home to Puerto Rico.

Spirit since has apologized to the family. The airline also issued a refund for the flight and provided the family with future travel vouchers, the airline said.