Despite high rental prices, car rental services for spring travel are still "sold out"

After Tet, car rental services enter the "harvest season" due to the high demand for spring travel.

Although the rental price is 300,000-400,000 VND/trip or more (depending on the type of vehicle) higher than usual, many car rental companies are still "sold out."

Can't run out of customers

According to a survey of car rental companies in Hanoi, since the beginning of March, car rental services with drivers in Hanoi for returning to hometowns and going on spring trips have increased.

Although the price of renting a car with a driver has increased, every company is in a state of "out of stock."

Mr. Pham Minh (Truong Dinh - Hanoi), owner of a car rental agency with 5 7-seat cars with drivers, said that since around the 10th day of Tet until now, all of his cars have been fully booked, with no days off.

“The demand for car rental for people to go out, visit pagodas, and enjoy spring has increased, especially on weekends. Although the price has increased by 300,000 VND/trip compared to normal days, the number of customers booking trips is still very high,” said Mr. Minh.

The economic recovery of people has increased the demand for travel and entertainment after Tet.

Not only are small 5-seat and 7-seat cars popular, but 16-seat, 30-seat and 45-seat cars serving agency and family groups are also chosen by many people.

Mr. Hoang Nam (owner of a car rental shop in Dai Co Viet) said that 16-seat cars are booked as much as Ford Transit because they can carry more people, and the price is slightly higher than 7-seat cars.

The main customers are office workers, elderly groups or guests on spiritual tours on weekends.

Currently in Hanoi, the rental price for 4-seat cars such as VinFast Fadil, Hyundai i10, Toyota Vios, Mazda3... on weekdays ranges from 600,000-800,000 VND, and on weekends it can increase to 900,000-1 million VND/day; 7-seat cars such as Mitsubishi Xpander, XL7, Toyota Innova, Fotuner... are more expensive, from 1.2-1.5 million VND.

For cars with 16 seats or more, the lowest price is about 2 million VND/day for self-driving or the price will be negotiated if renting with a driver.

As for 45-seat vehicles, many rental businesses are fully booked until the end of the first lunar month.

Because of the "out of stock" situation, if there are any places that still have cars, the price for this type of car, which is usually around 4 million VND/day, has now increased to 7-8 million VND/day.

According to Mr. Tran Tien Quan, a 7-seat Mitsubishi XL7 driver serving spring tourists, with the recent increase in demand, Mr. Quan drives customers every day.

In just half a month, he earned more than 15 million VND after deducting expenses.

"Every festival season and spring travel season, I try to arrange to be able to run a full schedule, earning extra to make up for the times when there are fewer customers."

Rent a car with driver because of… alcohol

Previously, renting a self-driving car was a trend to be comfortable and avoid depending on the driver, but now renting a car with a driver is chosen by most families and groups.

Mr. Nguyen Anh Tu, owner of the Nghe salon with nearly 10 employees, said that this year he chose to rent a 16-seat car with a driver to go on a spring trip with his colleagues at the shop for 3 days, visiting some northern provinces and returning to his hometown.

“Previously, we would choose to rent 2 self-driving cars for comfort and to reduce costs. But now, alcohol concentration control is very strict, so we switched to renting cars with drivers. Having a driver helps the group feel secure when drinking alcohol, safe, no need to worry about filling up gas, finding a place to park,” said Mr. Tu.

Sharing the same opinion, Ms. Pham Oanh, a coffee seller on Nguyen An Ninh Street (Hanoi) said that her family planned to travel to Nam Dinh and Ninh Binh provinces in the beginning of the second lunar month with 10 members.

Renting a car with a driver helps the whole family enjoy drinking together while still ensuring safety, without worrying about being fined by the traffic police for alcohol concentration.

Not to mention, renting a car with a driver will also reduce worries about collisions on the road, scratches or fines during the trip.

Going on a spring trip at the beginning of the year, many people will certainly want their trips to be more complete and enjoyable with family, relatives, and colleagues. Therefore, eating and drinking together will not ensure safety when driving, the risk of being fined for alcohol concentration is very high.

Renting a car with a driver helps the spring trip "go there and come back safely," everyone gets in one car, having fun and still being safe, which is the choice of many people.

Decree No. 100/2019/ND-CP of the Government with the level of handling violations of high alcohol concentration, temporary detention of vehicles and driving licenses for a long time, along with the drastic handling of the functional forces has contributed to positive changes in people's awareness of complying with legal regulations when driving...