Many people tend to think that hiring a car in Uganda is so expensive. With the cost thought, most travellers abandon the idea of using the services as the means of transport and in the end they use other means of transport which are not up to standard or do not serve the purpose of their travel. Well we are here to unfolded and discover the tricks of getting cheap car rental services in Uganda.
Go shopping around
Car rental operators are like mushrooms on the internet. It is wise of you to browse through the websites of the the different car rental companies. Look at their prices, the fleet of cars offered, subsidiary services given and the terms and conditions of renting a car. Make a comparison of different services and choose the one that will give the best offer in terms of cost and value for money.
Solicit for discount
They say you will never get what you don’t ask for. This applies in every aspect of life especially in business. Every car rental company in Uganda has a reserve price on each and every car for hire. The one on the websites is normally the market price. You can only get the reserved price which is lower than that on the website by asking for a deduction or discount as you make an inquiry through the reservation team. When you ask for a discount, the operator is more likely to reduce on the price and hence getting cheap car rental services. However, this sometimes is dependent on the number of days you would like to spend with the car.
Long term rental reservation
This is simple business economics. The more you purchase an item the more chances the seller is likely to reduce the price for you. In the car rental service business in Uganda, different prices are fixed for short term rental compared to long term. Normally a rental of 1 day to less than a week has a higher price compared to car rental for a week or more days. Therefore, for a hirer to get cheap car rental service, he/she has to go for a long term of a week or more days. For a week or more days sometimes USD 5 is always deducted for each and every day you will be using the vehicle and that is quite some good money you will have saved as a hirer, and that can be used for other trip logistics.
Drop off and pick up near Kampala
This is a spontaneous policy carried out by most of the car rental providers in Uganda. It is sufficing to know that most of the car rental companies in Uganda are found in Kampala the capital. Therefore, free drop off and pick up of the vehicle around points or areas within Kampala and Entebbe airport is an incentive offered to their clients. But those faraway from Kampala and Entebbe are charged with delivery and pick up fees. Henceforth when a hirer chooses to drop off and pick up the rental car around Kampala he/she will dodge the fees of delivery and returning the rented car. This will end up turning to be a cheap car rental package for the traveller.
Pay with cash
Paying cash for your car rental service comes with no extra cost. But when you pay electronically, there is always an extra charge you pay. Usually the car hire provider instructs to add on the 5% extra charge when making payment with the credit card. This quiet a lot of money especially when you are paying large amounts of money for instance a USD 1000 transaction you will have to add on an extra USD 50 which is some good amount to lose as a traveller. It is best for you as a traveller to pay cash to save that extra charge.
Advance booking
Panic buying of any commodity comes with a high price. This is because you don’t have enough time to negotiate and the seller always takes advantage of your desperation. Thus charging you highly since you need the item so badly. The aforementioned analogy also applies to the car rental business. Therefore, as a hirer you have to make your booking earlier to have ample time to haggle and get the best affordable rate possible for the car rental services.
The above are some of the few tips to consider for a cheaper Car Rental in Uganda however, the factors are not only limited to the above hence, this is only a guideline to consider before actually going for it. It is also important to have an idea of where you plan to travel to and use it as a bargaining point and also helps to know the specific type of car that would be reliable for round trip.
