KOCHI:The concept of self-drive cars has existed in Kochi for the longest time where small businesses used to give out private cars for rent. This service catered mostly to NRIs and corporate clients looking for long-term rentals and remained largely inaccessible to the layman owing to the requirement of extensive paperwork and large securities.
Making things easier for consumers and pushing up demand is the multiple online rental businesses with proper self-drive licences that have mushroomed in the city over the past few years.
Speaking to express, Raghu Mohan, proprietor, Nova cars operating at Cochin International Airport, said there is a surge in demand for self-drive cars with clients mainly consisting of NRIs and tourists arriving in Kochi. Nova rents out cars 24X7, with a daily rent starting from Rs 600 per day for an entry-level hatchback. Aadhaar and driving licence is a must and a refundable security amount of Rs 2000 is charged.
"There is a hike in demand from Kochi residents, IT executives and tourists for this facility. Mostly, our fleet of cars are booked out on most weekends", says Saju Kumar, director, AVS rent a car service, which operates a fleet of 56 cars in Kochi.
He added their services, which can be availed through their website, are available at Kalamassery, Kakkannad, Kaloor, Edappally and Fort Kochi. A refundable deposit of Rs 10,000 is charged by AVS.
Services like Zoomcar, a Bengaluru-based car rental start-up which started its operation last year in Kochi, gives the flexibility of booking a car on an hourly basis. The app-based service can be booked an hour before the required time and comes bundled with free kilometre packages.
Sajan, a Zoomcar fleet executive at Kochi, says their clients include a mix of families, youngsters and executives. He says their fleet consisting of 70 cars are mostly booked out on a regular basis. Zoomcar services at Edappally and Palarivattom in Kochi.
A small city car, on weekdays, can be had from as low as Rs 280 for four hours, with up to 20 kilometres free. Depending on the consumer requirement, one can opt for different kilometre packages for the required time period. Zoomcar charges a security deposit of Rs 5000 for new users, waving off the security completely once users complete a certain number of trips. The documentation, payment/refund process is exclusively done through their app/website.
The flexibility of choosing from a variety of cars to fulfil one's requirement is a major attractant to many who choose for
self-drive cars. Hatchbacks, sedans, SUVs and luxury cars are up for grabs in the city. Most of these self-drive cars come with an all-India permit and self-drive licence, making it possible for its consumers to undertake inter-state trips. In case of an accident, most of these services have capped the limit of damages paid by its customers in a range of Rs 5000-10000, the rest covered by the vehicle's insurance policy.
Luxury on wheels
The recession-proof wedding industry in India is estimated to be around $40-50 billion in size. This is evident from the extravaganza that is an Indian wedding. Things are no different in Kochi with the majority of the weddings featuring spectacular venues, state-of-the-art photography, designer labels and multi-cuisine catering.
Adding to the list of opulence and already become a trend is the hiring of luxury and vintage cars to ferry the bride and the groom. It doesn’t matter if you have a Maruti 800 as your daily driver, you can easily get your hands on the fanciest of wheels to make the grandest of entrances on your wedding.
Feeding into this craze is the multiple luxury car rentals in the city specially catering to the wedding industry. If your wallets are deep enough to shell out Rs 25,000 for a day, you can choose from a list featuring the likes of Mercedes Benz S-Class, BMW 7-Series, Jaguar XJL, Audi Q7 and Mercedes Benz GLS.
An official from the Kerala Luxury Car rentals said that even cars like the Rolls Royce Phantom are being arranged for different events in the city. These cars are mainly transported from Bangalore and are charged around Rs 2.5 lakh for a day and Rs 75,000 thereafter, for long-term rentals. If you fancy vintage cars to invoke a retro feel to your wedding, there are options to suit your need. Santhosh Kumar, co-owner, Darshan Holidays, says that there is a good demand for vintage in Kerala. Vintage cars like the 1960 Chevrolet Impala Sports Sedan, 1968 Morris Minor convertible, 1971 Mercedes 450SL and 1930 Rolls-Royce kit car are up for grabs. A vintage car can be had for a day for about Rs 20000.
According to these rental services, Jaguar cars, known for its exquisite styling are most sought after option among the majority of the newlyweds in the city. A Jaguar XF can be rented out for Rs 12,000 rupees in Kochi. For the ‘less privileged’, a mid-sized sedan like Maruti Ciaz, Hyundai Verna or a Honda City can be hired for just over Rs 6,000 a day.All of these services come bundled with an experienced chauffeur to take you around. The duration of the service for a day is around 8 hours and they provide up to 100 kilometres free.
Many Options
A small city car, on weekdays, can be had from as low as Rs 280 for four hours, with up to 20 kilometres free. Depending on the consumer requirement, one can opt for different kilometre packages for the required time period. Zoomcar charges a security deposit of Rs 5000 for new users, waving off the security completely once users complete a certain number of trips. The payment/refund process is exclusively done through their app/website.