The Great Hawaii Rental Car Crisis: Is It Ever Going To End?

[TexasTowelie]

A dire rental car shortage is forcing some would-be Hawaii visitors to cancel their trips — or empty their wallets.

The root of the problem is two-fold. When the pandemic hit and Hawaii imposed the nation’s strictest travel rules, car rental companies like Hertz and Budget started to sell off portions of their fleet and ship some of their inventory to the U.S. mainland, where they could still make money.

Now that Hawaii’s travel restrictions have eased and tourism is returning in full force, a national shortage of semi-conductor computer chips is making it difficult for car manufacturers to put new cars on the market. In turn, rental car companies are struggling to increase their fleets.

For those lucky enough to land in Hawaii with a rental car reservation, daily rates are sky high — in some cases up to $700. Some rental car companies in the islands have run out of vehicles even for those who have an advanced reservation.

Read more: https://www.civilbeat.org/2021/05/the-great-hawaii-rental-car-crisis-is-it-ever-going-to-end/