# Guides for running a better fleet > Practical guides for car rental, chauffeur and transport businesses on rostering staff transport, preventing double-bookings and pricing self-drive hires. URL: https://odobase.com/blog Last updated: 2026-11-02 Practical advice for rental desks, dispatchers and fleet owners, from the team behind Odobase. ## Articles - [Best free car rental software in 2026: what each free plan really includes](https://odobase.com/blog/best-free-car-rental-software) (published 2026-10-23): The car rental software you can really use for free in 2026, from free plans to open source, with what each includes, its limits and who it suits. - [Fleet management in Excel: what to track, and when to switch to software](https://odobase.com/blog/fleet-management-excel) (published 2026-10-23): How to run a vehicle fleet in Excel, from the sheets and formulas you need to the warning signs that it is time to move to fleet management software. - [GestiRent alternative: comparing car rental management software](https://odobase.com/blog/gestirent-alternative) (published 2026-10-23): GestiRent and Odobase compared for car rental companies, from contracts, bookings and Italian requirements to prices, free plans and who each one suits. - [GetDriver alternative: comparing NCC management software](https://odobase.com/blog/getdriver-alternative) (published 2026-10-23): GetDriver and Odobase compared for NCC and chauffeur companies, from features and Italian requirements to prices, free plans and who each one suits. - [Car rental booking spreadsheet: free Excel template](https://odobase.com/blog/car-rental-booking-spreadsheet) (published 2026-10-15): A free Excel car rental booking spreadsheet with vehicles, bookings and a calendar that flags double-bookings, its limits and when to move to software. - [Free car rental invoice template (Excel, Word and PDF)](https://odobase.com/blog/car-rental-invoice-template) (published 2026-10-15): A free car rental and car hire invoice template in Word, Excel and PDF, with what the invoice must include and the deposit and damage mistakes to avoid. - [How to calculate a chauffeur fare: costs, time, distance and margin](https://odobase.com/blog/chauffeur-fare-calculation) (published 2026-10-15): Price chauffeur, private hire and NCC trips from your costs: running cost, driver time, the empty return and margin, with a free fare calculator. - [Chauffeur price list template: how to build your rate grid](https://odobase.com/blog/chauffeur-price-list-template) (published 2026-10-15): A free chauffeur price list template in Excel and PDF, and how to fill it in, from the rate grid and fixed routes to surcharges, extras and waiting. - [Free chauffeur quote template (Word and PDF)](https://odobase.com/blog/chauffeur-quote-template) (published 2026-10-15): A free chauffeur and limousine quote template in Word and PDF, with what each quote must show, how long it stays valid and the terms to add. - [Fleetio alternative for rental and transport companies](https://odobase.com/blog/fleetio-alternative) (published 2026-10-15): Fleetio is built for fleet maintenance. If you run car rentals or chauffeured trips, here is what to look for and when Odobase fits better. - [How to price airport transfers: fixed fares, surcharges and waiting time](https://odobase.com/blog/how-to-price-airport-transfers) (published 2026-10-15): Fixed zone-to-zone fares or distance pricing, airport fees, night and last-minute surcharges, flight-delay waiting and extras, with a worked example. - [How to start a car rental business: a practical step-by-step guide](https://odobase.com/blog/how-to-start-a-car-rental-business) (published 2026-10-15): Practical steps to start a car rental business, from choosing a niche and getting licensed to insurance, vehicles, pricing, agreements and bookings. - [How to start a chauffeur or limo business](https://odobase.com/blog/how-to-start-a-chauffeur-business) (published 2026-10-15): Steps to start a chauffeur, limo or private hire business: choosing a niche, licences, vehicles, pricing, bookings and corporate accounts. - [Limo Anywhere alternatives for chauffeur companies](https://odobase.com/blog/limo-anywhere-alternatives) (published 2026-10-15): What Limo Anywhere offers, what to look for in chauffeur software, and when Odobase fits a chauffeur or limo company better, and when it does not. - [How much to charge for waiting time in a taxi or chauffeur business](https://odobase.com/blog/waiting-time-charges) (published 2026-10-15): Free minutes, per-minute or per-block rates, airport waiting and no-shows, with worked examples and a free waiting charge calculator. - [How to run an employee transport roster without spreadsheets](https://odobase.com/blog/employee-pick-and-drop-roster) (published 2026-09-18): How staff transport contractors roster daily shuttle routes, create runs ahead, cover driver leave and holidays, and bill clients from completed runs. - [How to stop double-booking vehicles in a car rental business](https://odobase.com/blog/prevent-double-booking-car-rental) (published 2026-09-18): Why rental companies double-book cars and drivers, and five practical rules, from one calendar to late-return handling, that stop it happening. - [Self-drive hire charges: pricing overtime, extra distance and deposits](https://odobase.com/blog/self-drive-hire-overtime-excess-km) (published 2026-09-18): How to set grace periods, round overtime, charge for distance over the allowance and treat security deposits in a self-drive car rental business. ## Frequently asked questions ### Who writes the Odobase guides? The Odobase team, the product team at EqualPixels Technologies that builds Odobase. Every guide shows its author, the day it was published and, when it changes, the day it was last updated. ### Are the guides only useful if I use Odobase? No. Each guide explains a practice that works with a whiteboard, a spreadsheet or any software. Where Odobase can handle a step for you, the guide says so at the end and links to the feature. ### Can I suggest a topic for a guide? Yes. Email us through the [contact page](https://odobase.com/contact) with the question your team keeps running into, and we will consider it for a future guide.