Rented cars running out as Idul Fitri approaches

JAKARTA (JP): With thousands of people having made reservations weeks before Idul Fitri, car rental companies are running out of vehicles.

Anang Bhagaskara, the manager of car rental company PT Tanjung Ayun Perkasa in Pondok Gede, East Jakarta, said recently he was planning to add another 20 cars to his existing 15 to anticipate increased demand.

Anang said more people had started ordering cars earlier this Ramadhan than in previous years.

"People started to call me in the first couple of days of Ramadhan this year," he said. This year's Idul Fitri falls on Feb. 9 and Feb. 10.

Most rental companies expect to gain more profit at this time of year, especially with a higher demand for family vans.

Ratna, finance manager of PT Intrans Limousine Service and Car Rental Service in Kalibata, South Jakarta, expects to earn about Rp 5 million a day during the Idul Fitri holiday.

PT Intrans has 35 cars, 20 of which are vans like Toyota Kijang and Daihatsu Zebra which rent for at least Rp 75,000 a day. Cars are rented on a daily, weekly and monthly basis.

Rina Hestiani, a marketing officer at PT Ray Renata in Tanjung Duren, West Jakarta, aims to rent out at least 15 cars for at least one week during this year's Idul Fitri.

Last Idul Fitri, Rina said, the company leased all of its 15 cars, most of them Kijang vans, each of which were rented for Rp 1 million a week.

Tedy M. Wijaya, a marketing officer at a shipping company in Jakarta, is one of thousands planning to drive his family to Yogyakarta in a rented car.

This is the third year he has rented a car from the same rental firm for his trip to his hometown.

Andhy Rulliansjah, an employer at a construction firm in Jakarta, has also decided to rent a car to take his family to Malang, East Java.

People who do not own a car cite comfort and safety as reasons for their willingness to pay double the price of public transport to reach their hometowns.

Tedy said he had a big family of six and loads of luggage to take with him to Yogyakarta.

Last year, he rented a Kijang van for 11 days and paid Rp 1.4 million. He could have paid only Rp 650,000 for return bus tickets for the whole family.

"I don't mind paying more to give my family a comfortable trip home," he said. "It's also the best way for us because we do not have to worry about the kids being lost in the crowd at the bus station," he added.

Meanwhile, Andhy, a construction employer, decided to rent a car this Idul Fitri after his sister-in-law told him of a reliable rental company that offers comprehensive insurance.

"I want my family to enjoy the ride and not worry about spending extra money on car trouble," Andhy said.

People not traveling out of the city during Idul Fitri also need transportation for the two-day holiday, either to visit friends or just to take a break.

Ade Aryanthie, an employee at a private bank in Jakarta, rented a car last Idul Fitri so her and her husband could visit relatives and colleagues around the city. They also took a refreshing trip to the Puncak mountain resort.

"We had just got married and had no car, so we decided to rent one for three days as we didn't want to borrow our parents' cars," she said.

She rented a Kijang van for Rp 800,000 per day. She felt it was overpriced but all other rental firms had run out of vehicles five days before Idul Fitri.

However, major car rental companies such as PT Golden Bird, which provides sedans like Corona, Opel Vectra, Volvo and Mercedes, said it served only a few customers at Idul Fitri.

"We do not expect a big hike in the number of people renting our cars during Ramadhan or the Lebaran holiday, nor do we set certain strategies to boost rentals on those days," the company's vice operation director Ateng Aryono said.

That, he said, was because 60 percent of the company's customers are expatriates and the remaining 40 percent are mostly upper-middle and higher class Indonesians who have private cars. (04)