Budget to offer car rental bidding online
LISLE, Ill., April 28 (Reuters) - Taking a page from Priceline.com Inc. (PCLN - news), the online service that allows people to bid for airline tickets and other products, Budget Rent a Car Corp. said Wednesday it will offer consumers the chance to bid for car rentals beginning in May.

The world's third largest car and truck rental firm, a unit of Daytona, Fla.-based Budget Group Inc. (BD - news), said it will be the first company to do so.

Consumers going to the company's Web site at http://www.drivebudget.com will be able click on a dedicated icon called BidBudget, fill out a form indicating at which location and dates the car will be picked up and returned, the car type, and the desired price.

Within a day Budget will respond with an e-mail notifying the customer if the bid was accepted.

Budget said Internet bookings are the most cost-efficient means for the company to take reservations.

Budget Group Chairman and Chief Executive Sandy Miller said in a statement that according to research firm Jupiter Communications, total online revenues for consumer and non-managed business travel is expected to reach $11.7 billion in the next three years.

Budget Group shares were up 9/16 at 13-5/16 Wednesday afternoon on the New York Stock Exchange.