Business trips can be stressful, especially the part where you need to get to meetings in unfamiliar areas. If your corporate career often lands you in cities that geographically, are just too vast to use services like Uber or Lyft, it’s likely you fall into the pool of travellers who find it more convenient to rent a car to get around. For many business travellers, it’s still a personal preference to rent. They like the freedom of going straight from the plane to behind the wheel, especially on trips that involve longer distances or frequent road travel, says Ryan Potgieter, Flight Centre Business Travel General Manager.
“If you look at the cost of daily car rental, it can be more cost-effective to rent a car than rely on taxi or similar transport, especially over longer periods of time. With the onset of ride-share apps, car rental companies are levelling up. They’re getting savvy with their own arrive-and-drive services, and skip-the-queue facilities for collecting your rental car,” he said.
Martin Lydall, Chief Commercial Officer at Europcar and Potgieter offer tips when hiring a rental car on your next trip:
Fill her up:
As a courtesy to the next renter, all vehicles are refueled on termination to ensure the tank is totally full. Fuel pricing in South Africa is regulated and all refills are charged at the Government legislated fuel price, and a service fee is levied.
Select comprehensive cover:
To limit your risk, select the super waiver product. Don’t think twice about it. It’s important to understand that you are liable for any damages or loss to the car irrespective of where the fault lies— even if it’s a tiny pebble that chips your windscreen. Taking the time to read through each cover option. Being knowledgeable about what you are getting, and what you need will save you in the long-haul.
Count your pick up and return days:
Daily rental charges are calculated in cycles of 24 hours. A rental that goes over the 24 hours is billed at an additional day. i.e. If a rental vehicle is collected at 9am on Monday and returned at 10am on Tuesday, the rental period is calculated at two days.
Renting it up on the weekend:
Weekend rates for rentals can offer great value for money as opposed to ordering taxis and rideshare services throughout the day. An important thing to remember however is that if you are renting a car over a weekend, the rate provided is fully inclusive and will include additional value adds which save you money, for example, super waiver cover and a specified amount of mileage per day. Ask your car rental about this.
Getting the rental you want:
One of the best things to remember about getting a rental, is that you can pre-select a category of vehicle that you feel most safe and comfortable driving—- manual, automatic. Indicator switch on the left, or on the right. Choose a small, nimble car to get around town attending multiple conferences, or an MPV to carry your whole team.