Rental Automobile Scarcity In Hawaii Sends Vacation Vacationers Scrambling — What to Know

Vacationers destined for Hawaii’s Large Island this vacation season are working right into a roadblock earlier than even boarding the aircraft because of a scarcity of rental automobiles on the island – and worth gouging of what stays.

The problem made its solution to Reddit earlier this week when a subject moderator in a Hawaii discussion board created a pinned publish titled, “PSA: There are nearly no automotive leases (together with Turo) on Large Island for the subsequent 2 weeks. Learn this publish in your choices.”

“There are primarily no extra automotive leases for Large Island through the Christmas vacation,” the publish reads. “All rental companies present as offered out, and based on current posts Turo leases are restricted and listed as excessive as $2500 for every week.”

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

Nonetheless, searches achieved 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 affordable possibility being $274/day over the past two weeks of December.

“Journey consultants have all the time beneficial reserving vacation journey as early as potential to safe the perfect offers and stock,” a consultant from Turo instructed T+L. “Turo experiences seasonality, similar to different main journey corporations, and we steadily remind friends to ebook a automotive as quickly as potential, particularly in well-liked 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 12 months.  Hawaii is all the time a preferred vacation spot for vacation vacationers – and our present reservations present this 12 months isn’t any totally 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 automotive rental corporations provided restricted availability. Hawaii Island native and filmmaker Kolby Akamu Moser instructed T+L that renting from Hilo Worldwide (ITO), the island’s extra regional airport presents a unique logistical problem because it’s situated 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 someway get to the opposite facet,” she mentioned.

Vacationers planning forward are reaching panic factors, however the true ache will probably be for these ready to lease a automotive upon arrival.

“Remember, everybody flying in Christmas day is in the identical boat — and lots of of them have NO thought they cannot get a rental,” a Hawaii-based Reddit moderator shared. “They’re simply going to show up on the rental counter to be taught 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 current lack of rental automotive availability at KOA, noting, “typically it’s actually costly, however this time it’s not even an possibility.” She additionally famous that in distant areas on the Large Island, akin to Hawai’i Volcanoes Nationwide Park, Uber and Lyft usually are not dependable types of transportation.

Savvy Reddit customers and locals have urged guests put together to spend nearly all of their time in and round their resort vacation spot, grow to be conversant in Hele-On, the island’s public bus service, organize 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 automotive leases on-property, ought to guests solely want a automotive for a portion of their time,” a consultant from Hawaii Tourism Authority mentioned including that friends selecting to not lease a automotive can think about public transit and airport shuttles along with rideshares.