Odd-even effect: Car rentals rise

With only a handful of comfortable and affordable commuting options available during the 15-day odd-even road rationing scheme in force in Delhi, many residents of Gurgaon are now renting cars for daily commute

With only a handful of comfortable and affordable commuting options available during the 15-day odd-even road rationing scheme in force in Delhi, many residents of Gurgaon are now renting cars for daily commute.

The police have been fining violators at the border areas. (Abhinav Saha/Hindustan Times)

A number of car rental companies such as Voler, Zoomcars, Myles and Revv said many residents are contacting them to rent cars on a daily basis since the scheme came into force. These people ask for cars with the number allowed on that day.

Cars are available for rent for R30 to R2,000 per hour, depending on the model and type. Most of these firms take `5,000 as security amount and charge around `2,00 to deliver the car at the customer’s doorstep. The minimum rental duration is four hours.

Residents said renting cars on a daily basis is one of the most viable options for them as not everyone can afford two cars with registration numbers ending in odd and even each.

In such a situation, car rental services come to the rescue as the driver has the freedom to take the vehicle wherever he or she wants and the billing is done on the basis of the car type and hours travelled, they said.

“After using public transport and private cabs on the first two days of the fortnight odd-even scheme implemented on April 15, I decided to book a car on rent. I rent a car on days when only even-numbered cars are allowed. This way I get to drive a new car each time,” said Uday Mishra, a resident of Sector 44 who has an odd-numbered car.

“I book cars on days when only odd-numbered cars are allowed. The car is delivered at my doorstep and is quite economical. Moreover, I have the freedom of driving it at any speed or time,” said Madhav Verma, Sector 17 resident, who has an even-numbered car.

Car rental companies say there has been at least a 20% rise in the bookings since the odd-even policy came into force in Delhi.

“There has been a 32% increase in the demand. We are conscious of the growing concerns of traffic congestion and pollution because of increasing vehicles in the city and are committed to build a socially responsible ecosystem,” said Sakshi Vij, founder and CEO, Mylescars.com.

The odd-even road rationing scheme was implemented in the national capital on April 15. This will be in force for a fortnight till April 30. It is the second phase of the scheme. The first one was implemented for a fortnight in January. The step has been taken by the Arvind Kejriwal government in Delhi to check rising pollution in the national capital.