Rented cars running out as Idul Fitri approaches
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)