Hire car shortage with Canada rail strike

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Car Rental News - 27/07/2009

 

Rental car companies are saying that they expect demand for hire cars to increase.

With a Canadian VIA Rail worker strike looming, there is a problem, however, in that they’re already running short of vehicles.

“There's just a huge shortage of available vehicles,” according to Linda Machika, who works as a rental counter agent with National Rent-A-Car in Montreal. She added: “We're definitely expecting a lot of calls if the train strike happens - they've already started. But no one has any cars available, it's the same everywhere.”

Many of Montreal’s rental operators said to The Gazette that the recession and drop in demand have meant fewer rental cars available.

“With the economy the way it is, we just didn't receive enough cars on the fleet to match demands,” Machika noted. “This year is the worst it's been. I've even had competitors calling me asking if we have any cars available because they have clients with reservations at their counter and no cars.”

Other local agencies are saying that they have similar problems with a lack of available cars.

A rental counter agent at Avis Rent-a-Car commented: “We're completely sold out. We have been for weeks, we just don't have available cars.”

An employee at Enterprise Rent-a-Car said that the situation was similar.

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