Rental Automobile Scarcity In Hawai’i Sends Vacation Vacationers Scrambling — What to Know

Vacationers destined for Hawaii’s Huge Island this vacation season are working right into a roadblock earlier than even boarding the airplane due to a scarcity of rental automobiles on the island – and value gouging of what stays.

The difficulty made its strategy to Reddit earlier this week when a subject moderator in a Hawaii discussion board created a pinned put up titled, “PSA: There are nearly no automobile leases (together with Turo) on Huge Island for the following 2 weeks. Learn this put up on your choices.”

“There are primarily no extra automobile leases for Huge Island throughout the Christmas vacation,” the put up reads. “All rental companies present as offered out, and in keeping with latest posts Turo leases are restricted and listed as excessive as $2500 for every week.”

It is price noting {that a} consultant from Hawaii Tourism Authority disputed this, telling Journey + Leisure that rental automobile costs are greater, “however automobiles can be found on the main automobile rental corporations at each Hilo and Kona airports, as we anticipate throughout excessive demand durations like the vacations.”

Nevertheless, searches carried out by Journey + Leisure on Hertz, Enterprise, Sixt, and Avis yielded no availability for pick-up at Ellison Onizuka Kona Worldwide Airport at Keahole (KOA) in Kona — the island’s prime resort vacation spot for vacationers — and simply seven choices on Turo, with the most cost effective possibility being $274/day over the past two weeks of December.

“Journey specialists have at all times beneficial reserving vacation journey as early as doable to safe the most effective offers and stock,” a consultant from Turo informed T+L. “Turo experiences seasonality, similar to different main journey corporations, and we incessantly remind friends to guide a automobile as quickly as doable, particularly in in style trip locations.”

A consultant from Enterprise Mobility additionally confirmed that vacation demand is at an all-time excessive.

“With the busy vacation season upon us, the demand for automobile leases at Enterprise Mobility is powerful throughout all three of our rental manufacturers — Enterprise, Nationwide, and Alamo — and we anticipate this to proceed by means of the tip of the yr.  Hawaii is at all times a well-liked vacation spot for vacation vacationers – and our present reservations present this yr isn’t any completely different,” the consultant mentioned in an e-mailed assertion. “From a pricing standpoint, our charges are decided by a number of provide and demand components together with location, dates of journey, size of rental, availability in addition to when the reservation was made.”

On the Hilo facet of the island, those self same automobile rental corporations provided restricted availability. Hawaii Island native and filmmaker Kolby Akamu Moser informed T+L that renting from Hilo Worldwide (ITO), the island’s extra regional airport presents a unique logistical problem because it’s positioned about 77 miles from Kona.

“It is a two hour drive to Hilo [from Kona], after which more often than not they will not allow you to drop [the rental] off in Kona, so that you’d have to return by means of Hilo and in some way get to the opposite facet,” she mentioned.

Vacationers planning forward are reaching panic factors, however the actual ache can be for these ready to lease a automobile upon arrival.

“Do not forget, everybody flying in Christmas day is in the identical boat — and plenty of of them have NO thought they can not get a rental,” a Hawaii-based Reddit moderator shared. “They’re simply going to show up on the rental counter to study there are not any automobiles. So all of the vacationers are going to slam the Uber app at the very same time.”

Moser additionally spoke to the latest lack of rental automobile availability at KOA, noting, “generally it’s actually costly, however this time it’s not even an possibility.” She additionally famous that in distant areas on the Huge Island, corresponding to Hawai’i Volcanoes Nationwide Park, Uber and Lyft will not be dependable types of transportation.

Savvy Reddit customers and locals have steered guests put together to spend the vast majority of their time in and round their resort vacation spot, turn into aware of Hele-On, the island’s public bus service, prepare for excursions that present transportation, and make use of the restricted locations rideshares like Uber and Lyft service in busier areas.

“Some resorts additionally provide automobile leases on-property, ought to guests solely want a automobile for a portion of their time,” a consultant from Hawaii Tourism Authority mentioned including that friends selecting to not lease a automobile can contemplate public transit and airport shuttles along with rideshares.