Travelers have a lot of challenges during these days of living with the COVID-19 pandemic. For many months, many people had to quarantine in their homes, and few people were traveling, both for business and for travel.
Once travelers were getting on the road again, they had many issues to contend with:
· Many airlines drastically reduced their flights; those flights that did run were nearly empty.
· New cleaning and circulated air procedures implemented.
· New mandates demanded that all travelers wear face masks in the terminals and on the plane.
· Many of the shops and food outlets in airports were closed.
· Hotels had to implement new safety and COVID-19 protocols when preparing rooms for guests and cleaning between stays.
· Rental cars became increasingly expensive, or not available in some cases once travel increased. This was because many rental car agencies had to sell off a lot of their inventory during the COVID shutdown.
Travelers Struggle with Rental Car Availability:
According to an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer, the pandemic had a profound effect on those looking for cars when traveling. Here are some of the reasons that the Philadelphia Inquirer cited for reduced availability in rental cars:
· When the pandemic arose, car rental agencies and the travel industry in general, dried up.
· People were working from home and schedule zoom calls, instead of traveling to destinations via plane.
· Rental companies were selling off unused vehicles. Many times this was caused as part of their bankruptcy proceedings.
· The numbers don’t lie, according to Hertz, between April and June of 2020, car rentals were down to 28%, versus 82% during that time in 2019.
· Hertz reduced their fleets from 516,726 nationwide in 2019 to 298,183 in 2020. That is a reduction of 40% in one year.
· Because of the reduction in available inventory, rental car prices skyrocketed. AAA’s Travel Index reported that the average price of rental cars increased from around $89 per day to over $166.
All these factors made travelers look for more reliable and affordable options for business and leisure rental cars.
Thinking Out of the Box for Car Rentals:
If you feel that car sharing is a good, affordable option for you, here is how it works:
Just like the need for transportation alternatives changed several years ago, with Uber, Lyft, and other rideshare operations opened for business. Some people started looking for alternatives in car rental options.
This began an entirely new business model called car sharing. Car sharing is when an individual has an extra vehicle that they are not using, will rent it out to travelers coming to their cities. Services like Avail car sharing and others are popping up to give travelers a new and often less expensive option than traditional rental cars.
According to Carsharing.org, Here is how car sharing works:
· Those interested in car sharing must fill out a profile on the car sharing service that wish to rent from.
· Cars are owned by local people. But a service makes sure the cars are cleaned, inspected and insurance is in place.
· Many are available at an individual’s home; others are in local ar parking lots.
· Drivers must be at least 18, have a valid U.S. driver’s license, clean driving record, and credit card.
· All drivers are covered by Allstate, no need to purchase supplemental insurance.
· Mileage is included up to 150 miles per day; a surcharge is added after that.
· No additional fee for added drivers.
The Next Big Thing:
Like ride-sharing, Airbnb, and other transportation and lodging services, car-sharing gives travelers another option as they get back on the road and begin traveling in the future.
