Hertz is the world's leading vehicle renting organization. It operates from approximately 7,700 locations in 145 countries worldwide. It is the largest general use car rental brand in the world and is the number one airport car rental brand in the U.S. and at 69 major airports in Europe. Hertz's Worldwide Reservations Centers handle approximately 40 million phone calls and receive 30 million reservations annually. The company started in 1923 when John Hertz of the Yellow Cab and Yellow Truck and Coach Manufacturing Company bought a car renting company from Walter L. Jacobs - the pioneer of auto renting. He called it the Hertz Drive-Ur-Self System. Hertz’s mission “is to be the most customer-focused, cost-efficient vehicle and equipment rental/leasing company in every market.”