Rent a Car, Cab, or Private Car While Traveling? Choosing The Best Option
Not so long ago, there were no such concepts as carsharing. But with the advent of the rental service, much has changed: passengers can be mobile, save on travel, choose and adjust routes independently.
Car rental: how does it work?
Pioneers in the field of car rental are considered to be the Americans, who were the first to implement this service. One of the famous services is ZipCar, which operates in many cities of the United States.
Carsharing is a kind of car rental. This type of rental works with a per-minute charge at any time of the day. Car rental firms work through mobile applications, with the help of which you can find a free car in the city and rent it for the required time. After renting a car can be left at any parking lot in the city, which is much more convenient and economical than taking a cab.
Car rental service is created for active people who want to remain mobile in any situation and not depend on public transport. In this case, there is no need to bear the cost of maintaining your own car.
You can book a car using the app on your phone. In the program you see only free cars, as soon as you book one of them, it will stop being displayed to other drivers. To open or close the car doors, all you have to do is press a button on your phone, and the keys themselves are in the ignition.
Rent or private car – which is better?
Having a personal car is not only comfort and mobility but also the constant cost of fuel, parking, maintenance, and more. The modern owner of a car on average uses it for personal purposes: a trip to work, in the city, or in the suburbs. Some companies have their own fleet for employees to use for commercial purposes.
If you compare the annual cost of maintaining a personal car and long term SUV rental, for example, in Dubai (the most luxurious city in the world), you can conclude that car maintenance is quite expensive. If you rent a car, even spacious one in expensive Emirates, like taking SUV car rental Dubai, 7 seater car in Sharjah or the same car type in Abu Dhabi, you can reduce these costs by up to 50%. In this case, you do not need to think about refueling, repair, and parking. Therefore, every year car rental services gain more and more popularity.
The main advantages of the service are:
- round-the-clock operation 7 days a week – you can rent a car and give it back at any time;
- opportunity to leave a car at any authorized parking in the city, including paid parking lots;
- No need to service the car – to monitor its technical condition, arrange the insurance, to fill up and wash;
- Short-term rentals can replace up to 15 private cars, which significantly affects the environment by reducing the toxic exhaust emissions.
- In order to save fuel and care for the environment, companies often offer hybrid or plug-in electric cars for rent.
The disadvantages of renting a car are the dependence on the Internet, as you have to go to an app and check out the service, the limited number of cars, and the insufficiently large travel areas.
Rent a car or a cab – what to choose?
Choosing between car rental and cab service, it is better to know the pros and cons of both types of services in advance. The advantages of renting a car are more profitable and rational use of the car, where the renter will manage it himself and plan his route. Also, this type of rental is cheaper than cabs. A handy app allows you to quickly book a suitable car that is close by, while a cab will have to wait.
In some cases, calling a cab will be a better decision. For example, if you will need to be distracted by other things or correspondence on the way if you do not have a driver’s license or at least 2 years of experience. Also, rental services are not available to people under 21 years of age.
However, in most cases renting a car is more profitable than taking a cab. An especially personal budget is saved when in certain places (airport, train station, etc.) the cost of a cab is overpriced. If you are planning a trip to the countryside, then the cab, in that case, is not suitable. And the ideal solution is to rent a car.
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Rent a Car, Cab, or Private Car While Traveling? Choosing The Best Option