Hertz is offering £1 car rentals to all emergency staff so that they can always make it to work throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

The rental giant announced the measure this week as a thank you to frontline workers in the NHS, police, fire and rescue, and armed forces, as well as teachers, who are all desperately trying to keep the country going during this extraordinary time.

It means key workers will have access to transport when they need it most.

In a message on the firm’s website, a spokesperson from Hertz thanked staff for their tireless efforts to keep the country safe.

They said: “We’re here for you, because you’re there for us.

“Thank you for all you do from the bottom of our heart, as a token of our appreciation, we are offering our frontline NHS and Education professionals in the UK rentals at £1 a day booked before 30th March 2020 to help them travel safely to work.”

The offer extends to:

• NHS doctors, nurses, midwives, paramedics, social workers, care workers and other frontline health, social care support and specialist staff in the UK who continue to work during the coronavirus (COVID 19) pandemic;
• Teaching, childcare and support staff, social workers and specialist education professionals in the UK who continue to work during the coronavirus (COVID 19) pandemic;
• Public safety – This includes police and support staff and armed forces personnel, those critical to the delivery of key defence outputs and essential to the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, fire and rescue service employees (including support staff).

All bookings need to be made by 30 March and the rental has to be completed by the end of April. It is not available in Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands, Morden, Isle of Man, Stafford, or Telford.

To make a booking, visit the Hertz website, here.

This comes after the UK government sent a plea out to the general public to find 250,000 volunteers to help support the NHS during the outbreak.

In less than 24 hours since the appeal went out, more than 170,000 people had already signed up to give up their time to an NHS Volunteer Responders scheme.

The National Medical Director of the NHS, Stephen Powis, said that he was ‘bowled over’ by the hugely heartening response from selfless members of the public.