What's It Like to Work in the London Car Rental Industry as a Woman? An Interview with Sunshine Automobiles

TL;DR: This is a conversation with Bamila Baskaran and May Hoang from Sunshine Automobiles, a London-based private hire rental company. They talk about what drew them to the industry, the everyday biases they have navigated, the gender ratio at their company, the female figures they look up to, and what they think the wider vehicle rental industry needs to change to become genuinely inclusive.

The car rental industry has historically been one of the most male-dominated corners of the wider mobility sector. That is changing, but slowly, and rarely in the conversations the industry has about itself. Women still hold only around 17 to 20% of leadership roles across transport and mobility, according to Vulog's industry research, despite the 39% higher likelihood of financial outperformance for companies in the top quartile of gender diversity on executive teams, as found by McKinsey's 2023 "Diversity Matters Even More" report. The statistics are useful but they are not the full picture. What the data does not capture is the everyday experience of being a woman working on the operational side of a rental business, dealing with customers, suppliers, garages, fleet checkers and partners in a sector that often assumes you are in the wrong role. The bias is rarely loud. It is usually quiet, casual, and repeated often enough to become normal. To get past the data and into the lived reality, the team at Coastr spoke to two women working at the operational core of a fast-growing London PCO rental business. Bamila Baskaran and May Hoang from Sunshine Automobiles share what excited them about the rental space, the stereotypes they have had to push past, the role models who shaped them, and what they want the industry to choose to challenge. The interview below is in their own words.

Men and women around the world are striving to achieve a better future in mobility for all.

Although women contribute to transforming mobility, they frequently remain invisible and their contribution to safer, more inclusive and more sustainable transport is insufficiently acknowledged. To highlight changemakers in the transport sector, we at Coastr interviewed two such women, who are changing the traditional narrative in the vehicle rental space with their drive and passion.

Bamila Baskaran and May Hoang from Sunshine Automobiles, a fast-growing private vehicle hire based in London, share perspectives on what excited them about the car rental space, the challenges they faced as women professionals in the industry and why it's important to make women more visible.

Interview:

Q: Tell us about your role at Sunshine Rentals?

Bamila: I am the operations manager at Sunshine Rentals. I handle the PCNs and fines that customers receive. I organise the fleet checker’s schedule and take care of key inventory.

May: I am the Maintenance Manager and look after maintenance and repair of all cars in the fleet.

Q: Given that it is just the beginning of your career, what made you say yes to an ops manager role in a traditionally male-dominated industry?

Bamila: I wanted to prove to the car industry that women can take on this role and influence young women to get into something that is traditionally male-dominated.

Q: Being on the ground, after seeing things first-hand and experiencing industry operations, do you think it's been difficult for you to tackle the bias and stereotypical thoughts around women?

Bamila: I have experienced male customers wanting to speak to male staff and not me, as they think I don’t have any knowledge of cars.

May: I have experienced something very similar. Many male customers and sometimes even female customers think I am just a secretary. I remain firm and push through their stereotypes to change their perspective. Since I handle car parts and repairs, I am often not seen as “tough” enough or considered “emotional”, but I think we need to normalise and personalise the professional work space in a way so that it breeds an open environment where employees, male or female, can be open about their feelings without being ridiculed.

Q: What's the best part and the worst part of working in the vehicle rental space?

Bamila: The worst part for me is dealing with bailiffs. Learning new things every single day is what I enjoy the most.

May: The worst would be working with garages that don’t take me seriously. The best part would be getting to handle and experience new roles such as marketing. I can do that here because it is a small company.

Q: What do you have to say about the gender diversity ratio in your industry? What is Sunshine rentals doing to bring about a change?

Bamila: The diversity in the company is currently good. We maintain 1:1 ratio between male and female employees. Sunshine is giving a chance to any and every candidate and is mindful of gender diversity when choosing new employees.

May: As an industry it doesn’t look too appealing to a woman like me, as it is heavily male-dominated. The industry typically assigns certain roles to certain genders. Sunshine doesn’t seem to have a problem with employing a woman on the field which is typically a male role.

Q: Do you have any female role models/ mentors? What is the biggest thing you have learnt from them?

Bamila: Yes. My mum is my female role model. She is a hardworking single mother, who works two jobs to ensure her three kids have a roof over their heads. She is motivating and extremely independent.

May: I would say my mum too. She has always been a strong figure and leader in the family. She is independent and when she wants something she will go out and get it.

Q: What skill set is required to work in the vehicle rental space and make your mark?

Bamila: You have to be intuitive and have good problem-solving skills, especially when you work in a small business. Good communication is also key.

Q: What do you #ChooseToChallenge this International Women's Day?

Bamila: I #ChooseToChallenge the notion that women are stereotypically better with attention to detail and should hold more responsibility for their actions, but will never be put in roles other than admin and general office work. I don’t think I would be considered for a fleet management role as I am not considered as forward enough.

May: I want to challenge the white lens that International Women’s Day is seen through. Feminism is mostly discussed with the western woman in mind. We should choose to focus our efforts to empower women and educate men who are in less fortunate circumstances than us. I don’t believe I am doing anything particularly special at Sunshine as a woman, but there are women who are being oppressed because of natural body functions.

About Sunshine Automobiles:

Sunshine Automobiles established in 2016, is already one of the fastest growing newly established companies in the private hire industry. The company prides itself on excellent ethical standards and all of their cars are fuel-efficient with very low carbon footprint. The company strives to provide best service to its customers in this dynamic and fast-paced business.

Offering a variety of cars and prices, Sunshine Autos is the only Central London-based PCO car rental company which is efficient, fast and rewards good drivers.

About Coastr:

Coastr is a B2B cloud technology company in the smart mobility space that is disrupting the vehicle rental market with an AI and IoT-enabled digital platform and related tech-enabled services. Our cloud-based car rental management software for independent operators, leverages advanced telematics technology to digitise rental operations, improve efficiency and reduce operational costs. We also have a customer-friendly mobile app that utilises keyless entry technology to enable contactless rental services. Since its founding in 2018, the business has won both Scottish Enterprise and Innovate UK grants for smart mobility solutions and is planning on completing a Series A round in late 2021.

Read more about us: https://www.coastr.com/why-coastr

FAQS

Why is the car rental industry still considered male-dominated?

The rental and broader automotive industry was historically built around vehicle ownership, mechanical roles and supplier networks that were largely male-dominated. Cultural patterns and hiring norms followed, leaving women under-represented in operational and leadership roles. While the picture is changing as digital platforms and shared mobility lower the entry barriers, women still hold only around 17 to 20% of leadership roles across transport and mobility.

What are the biggest challenges for women working in the car rental industry?

The most common challenges include navigating customer assumptions that male staff are more knowledgeable, building credibility with suppliers and garages, accessing the established industry networks that drive deals and partnerships, and being taken seriously in operational roles like fleet management and maintenance that have traditionally been seen as male. These challenges are visible across both small and large rental operators.

Is the gender ratio in car rental improving?

Yes, slowly. Digital fleet management, vehicle subscription models, EV adoption and contactless rental experiences have all reduced the operational and technical barriers to entering the industry. Younger, smaller and more digital-first rental businesses tend to have more balanced gender ratios than legacy operators. Industry bodies and investor groups are also actively supporting more female participation across rental, mobility tech and corporate fleet roles.

How can car rental businesses become more inclusive workplaces?

Inclusive rental businesses commit to gender-balanced hiring at every level, train staff to challenge assumptions about role suitability, build supplier and partner relationships that are not dependent on legacy networks, create paths for women into operational and leadership roles, and visibly celebrate the contributions of women across the business. Inclusion at the hiring stage matters less than inclusion in the everyday culture.

What skills are most valuable for working in car rental operations?

The most valuable skills are strong problem-solving, clear communication with customers, suppliers and staff, comfort with operational complexity, the ability to learn quickly across multiple areas of the business, attention to detail, calm under pressure, and increasingly, comfort with technology platforms like rental management software, telematics and customer apps. These skills are gender-neutral and transferable across rental segments.

What is a PCO car rental business?

A PCO (Private Hire Operator) car rental business rents vehicles to drivers operating under private hire licences, such as Uber, Bolt and traditional minicab drivers. PCO rentals typically focus on flexible, longer-term hire periods and require specific vehicle compliance, including PCO plates, insurance and driver checks. London has one of the largest PCO rental markets in the world due to its size and high concentration of private hire drivers.