Calgary's rental car shortage expected to continue through summer 2022
A summer approaches, travellers hoping to rent a vehicle may find it difficult to find an affordable option – not just in Alberta, but right across Canada.
Car rental companies continue to feel the impact of a global shortage of semiconductor chips, compounded by lower inventories from the pandemic.
"In March of 2020, demand essentially fell off a cliff,” explained Craig Hirota, vice president of the Associated Canadian Car Rental Operators. "The industry largely tried to reduce their fleets in order to minimize the expense of maintaining a fleet of vehicles that they’re no longer generating revenue on."
As travel restrictions stated to lift last summer and demand for rental vehicles increased, companies were unable to restock their fleets due to supply chain issues plaguing much of North America.
"The industry is still somewhat under-supplied for what we would consider normal in the spring and summer season," Hirota said.
He's concerned that if the tourism industry booms, it's only going to increase the already intense pressure on the rental vehicle market.
Samantha Martin from Toronto based-band Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar has been searching for a rental van for upcoming tours in Alberta and B.C. and says it has been difficult to find a reasonably-priced option.
"I have been looking now for two months for an affordable and available van that would fit a 10-piece band, and so far had varying degrees of success. I’ve been able to find a few things, but they are so astronomically expensive that it’s not financially feasible for the tours, so we’re still looking," Martin said.
Tourists visiting Calgary and southern Alberta during the Stampede may find it hard to snag a rental.
An online search online shows weekend rates amounting to thousands of dollars.
Lesley Mitchell is travelling from Calgary to Halifax in August and says she was shocked at the sky-high prices for a rental vehicle, with no guarantee on make or size.
"I totally was surprised and took it for granted. It’s usually one of the last things I book," she said. "I’ve never run into a situation where it was never an option even to rent, so completely surprised."
The issue isn’t isolated to Canada specifically and has been a concern for some time.
While planning a trip from Calgary to Hawaii last Christmas, Karen Malcolm-Pye says the price for a rental vehicle was shocking.
"Even to use some of our points for a car rental was so high, and using so many points to get a rental," she says.
Both she and Mitchell looked for other options instead and landed on the car sharing app, Turo, which is similar to Airbnb.
“We’ve seen bookings on Turo in Alberta grow roughly 3,000 per cent, year-over-year so I think that’s a very strong sign that there is a huge demand for alternatives to traditional car rental options,” said Cedric Matthieu with Canadian Turo.
If you are keen on a rental vehicle for your summer holiday, experts suggests planning farther in advance than you’d anticipate.
"Try and book out as early as possible and widen your search to rental operations that might not be right on the airport or might be in the city you’re going to visit," says Hirota.
"There are vehicles out there you just have to put in a little extra work to find them right now because there is a little bit of scarcity for sure."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
U.S. vetoes a widely supported UN resolution backing full membership for Palestine
The United States has vetoed a widely backed UN resolution that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for the state of Palestine.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn’t over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball’s highest scorer Caitlin Clark’s first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
Bayer recalls hydraSense baby product over 'potential contamination'
Bayer announced Thursday it is recalling two lots of its hydraSense Baby Nasal Care Easydose due to a potential contamination.
N.L. gardening store revives 19th century seed-packing machine
Technology from the 19th century has been brought out of retirement at a Newfoundland gardening store, as staff look for all the help they can get to fill orders during a busy season.
Cat found on Toronto Pearson airport runway 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Grandparent scam suspects had ties to Italian organized crime, police allege
A group of suspects that allegedly defrauded seniors across Ontario and other parts of Canada using a so-called emergency grandparent scam appear to have ties to 'Italian traditional organized crime,' according to an investigator involved in the OPP-led probe.