Despite early concerns raised by hired car rental companies regarding Government’s $5 car rental levy, some proprietors have noted a positive response from customers.
The levy, which officially went into effect in October, sparked concern across multiple sectors from vehicle rental operators to insurance professionals, who feared the measure could drive up costs and worsen an already challenging business environment.
Some proprietors reported they were fully booked for the tourist winter season, with no rentals left before the start of the new year.
Manager at My Rides Auto Rentals powered by Fusion Auto World, Azhad Mangera, said they did not have any drastic fallout with the introduction of the levy, neither was there a price increase, as they opted to maintain their prices.
“Levy-wise, we’ve just let them know that it’s a Government levy that has been replacing the visitors’ permit. All of our customers overseas come from countries which have similar levies, so we don’t really find a big, drastic complaint.
“We’ve been having a lot of cruise passengers, locals as well, with double bookings and repeat customers as well, so we’re fully booked up until New Year’s,” Mangera said.
Director at Tweety Car Rentals, Andrew Smith, said the season was busy with bookings around the clock. Likewise, he also reported that the levy did not cause a noticeable shift in business.
“One question the tourists have, is if they no longer need the temporary licence anymore, because, normally, they are accustomed to getting a piece of paper. We told them that law that has changed since October, so it’s not really like they have any room for argument, and I find they are very understanding for the most part,” he said.
A representative at BCR car rentals said that during the busy winter season and full bookings, they adjusted the car rental price to account for the change in the levy.
“We added it into the total for the rentals, so if it is that you’re renting a vehicle for however long, we just incorporated it into our total, so we don’t do anything else different.
“The most feedback we get is from tourists who are still expecting permits, so we just let them know that the permits are no longer issued, but we haven’t heard anyone complaining about it,” they said. ( JRN)
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