In an effort to expand his own business in 1923, John Hertz, then head of Yellow Truck and Coach Manufacturing, bought Yellow Driv-ur-self System, a car rental system, from Walter Jacobs. The business was owned by Hertz until 1926, when General Motors bought it. In 1953, GM decided to get out of this sideline and thecompany as sold to Omnibus Corp., and the present corporate name was adopted.
During the 1920s, it was standard procedure to rent cars at side-street locations. There were virtually no car rental facilities in prime business areas. Transactions were on a cash basis and credit was rarely extended to individuals. Typical rentals were usually of short duration and distance.