With Self-drive, the traveler reaches out to the car hire agency seeking service of hiring the car. The company or travel agency then will provide a car without a driver.
Today, Wilson, a consultant with Best Car Hire Uganda will weigh in the pros and cons of self drive car rental.
Advantages of Self Drive car Rental
1. Privacy
Hiring a self drive car will give you complete privacy and reduce interruptions from the cab driver or a driver provided to you by the car rental company. You can have full confidentiality with the conversations during the road drive and also get to choose which music to play. Many of our clients who prefer self drive have also pointed out that this form of rental saves you from the bad, impatient and incompetent drivers.
2. Flexibility
Road trips are usually nice with flexibility with time and routes to the different destinations. With self drive, the traveler can determine set off time, arrival time and also a shorter route to use. This freedom could be hard to get if you hire a car with a driver since adjusting the travel itinerary would need approval from office.
3. Hygiene.
The Covid-19 pandemic came with lots of changes in the car hire industry. With the SOPs, the traveler wishes to be in charge of the sanitizing the car, keeping the whole interior safe for his/her health and self drive car rental will save you the face mask during the drive. This freedom is something that the travelers would consider while choosing between self drive car rental and car rental with a driver.
4. Cost Friendly
The cost of the driver’s welfare while on the trip is a financial issue to consider while hiring a car with a driver yet such costs are not applicable when hiring a car for self drive. Most travelers consider this saving a go ahead for the self drive car rental plan since they could channel the savings into buying craft, food or even do donations to communities.
5. Safety
Renting a car with a driver might not give you the liberty to keep valuables in the car during the night or during a stopover. There is also a possibility that the driver could violate road guidelines and put your lives to risk. With self drive, you are in control and it’s easier for you to park and take a break when you feel tired a thing the driver could fear to do.
Disadvantages of self drive Car rental
1. The strict terms and conditions
Some car rental agencies have really strict terms and conditions for the self drive car rental plan since they have to ensure that the clients drives responsibly to avoid damage to the car. You might also be prohibited from driving during the night hours and many travelers find these terms unfavorable for their plans. However, Best Car Hire Uganda gives the traveler the freedom to discuss these terms before renting the car.
2. Limited car types
In Uganda, most car rental fleet has limited car types they can offer on self drive rental plan. Cars with high cost of maintenance especially the recent models with expensive spare parts will be available for rent with a driver. This limits the traveler’s choice and could be a complete turn off for the trip. It is always advisable for the traveler to consider all options before reserving a car for self drive.
3. Navigation challenges
Self drive in a new place or country would get challenging in identifying which route is safer, shorter or even has more places of adventure. Some guests/travelers nowadays use Google maps to help them navigate to their destinations but would get challenges in areas with poor phone service.