Lockdown easing and high demand for vehicles

lockdown-easing

Lockdown Easing and High Demand for Vehicles

While the demand for vans has eased off slightly, demand for cars has rocketed thanks to the partial easing of lock-down restrictions this month.

At last people are able to visit loved ones who live at a distance, but they cannot stay overnight. However, this may make using public transport an unrealistic option.

Similarly, people can now get away to self-catering accommodation.

Consequently, as many of our cars are already rented out to local authorities and businesses we have a limited supply for private rental.

We will do everything we can to accommodate you but we ask that you please give us at least a week’s notice ahead of the date when you need a car.

Please remember we are still sticking to all the Covid-19 safety requirements, such as limiting numbers in our offices, providing hand sanitisers to visitors and ensuring all our vehicles are thoroughly sanitised between rentals.

House moving? Book your van early

Moving-House

House moving? Book your van early

The extension of the Stamp Duty holiday until the end of June, announced in this month’s budget, has prompted a surge in people planning to move house.

The demand for vans has therefore increased dramatically.

The two sizes most in demand Ford Transit Lutons and 7.5 ton box vans and they are not only being requested by people intending to do their own property removals but also by removals companies.

To add to the pressure, there are very few rental companies other than Robertson’s that rent these types of vehicle.

As a result, we are asking for a minimum of a week’s notice for people wanting to rent vans although we will of course always try to help people with an urgent deadline.

Remember, you can make a provisional booking if you are not entirely sure of the precise removal date.

Give us a call to discuss your options and find out more.

Demand for rental vehicles stays high

High-Demand-for-Rental-Vehicles

Demand for rental vehicles stays high

New regulations restricting the proportion of non-electric vehicles local authorities may buy have added to the demand for rented vehicles.

The regulations came into effect from January 1 this year amid increasing concerns about the damage being done to the environment by fossil fuels.

While there are no restrictions on the types of vehicle councils can rent, there are restrictions on council-owned fleets.

The demand for vans is already high due to the pandemic lockdowns leading to more people shopping online for both food and other items.

In addition, many homeowners are rushing to meet the deadline for the end of the period during which stamp duty on properties valued up to £500,000 was suspended.

Consequently, we are experiencing high demand for Luton and long wheelbase vans.

So, if you know you are going to want a van soon please book one well ahead of the required date.

Latest lockdown changes to keep everyone safe

latest-lockdown-changes

Latest lockdown changes to keep everyone safe

Despite the latest lockdown, we are still experiencing a high demand for vans.

This is partly because of the numbers of people intending to move house before the end of the Stamp Duty holiday and also because of the needs of delivery drivers to meet the still high demand for remote and online shopping.

For your, and our, further protection as Covid cases continue to be high, we have created staff support bubbles so that half the staff are working each week and then the bubbles swap over. This helps us to keep the business open as much as possible.

On Saturdays we are reducing hours and only opening to deal with the general public and then going home, so we need people to pre-book if they need to pick up a vehicle on a Saturday.

Stay safe everyone, this will all be over with eventually!

Book vans early for Christmas

Book-Vans-Early-for-Christmas

Book vans early for Christmas

If you are hoping to rent a van before Christmas we are asking our customers to please give us at least two weeks’ notice.

The demand for transit vans has gone through the roof in the last few weeks, partly because of the latest pandemic lockdown and partly because there has been a huge shift to online shopping.

With Christmas on the way both delivery drivers and the Royal Mail are coming under increasing pressure and although we have added to our fleet to try to keep up with their demand we are struggling to meet them.

We now have 80 vans rented out for parcel deliveries and the companies are warning that if people don’t put in their orders soon they are unlikely to receive their deliveries before Christmas.

So, if you are a private customer looking for a van for a day, perhaps for a house move, we would appreciate your giving us at least two weeks’ notice.

As ever, we are keeping to our sanitisation and hygiene routines for both vehicles and visitors to our offices.

Reassurance for customers

Reassurance-for-customers

Reassurance for customers

Some of you may be wondering whether Essex being recently upgraded to Tier 2 because of the Coronavirus pandemic has prevented us from operating.

For your reassurance, we can confirm that our offices are all still open for collection and return of rentals.

However, we have some additional measures in place for your safety.

To maintain social distancing no more than two customers can be in our offices at any time and we are asking everyone to wear a face mask, as all staff are doing.

The NHS track and trace app system is also now in operation at all our offices, but if for any reason you could not download it to your mobile our paperwork will in any case provide a record of anyone who has been in the office.

Otherwise, we continue to operate all the safety measures we introduced earlier in the pandemic.

We provide hand sanitising equipment and there are lines on the floor to show people the accepted social distances. Card machines and door handles are sanitised between each customer.

All vehicles are thoroughly sanitised and spray cleaned with anti-bacterial cleaner and wiped before each customer goes out with a vehicle.

We are making every effort to keep our customers safe and able to continue business as “normal”.

Buying online is soaring and so is demand for our vans

Renault-Clio-Red

Buying online is soaring and so is demand for our vans

It seems we have taken to buying almost everything online during the Coronavirus restrictions, accelerating an already-growing trend.

As the numbers of cases are increasing again – the so-called second wave – it is likely that there will have to be more restrictions on our movements and we shall be ever more reliant on online shopping.

We are at near-capacity with van rentals as a result of this and people moving house before the end of the temporary cancellation of stamp duty on houses valued at up to £500,00 and have added two more vans to our fleet.

While insurance restrictions mean we can’t rent to individual couriers, we can rent to courier companies but we need you to let us know your requirements as soon as possible.

Earlier in the year, the lockdowns across different countries led to vehicle manufacturers cutting the numbers of cars they were producing and we had to put our plans for renewing our fleet on hold.

Thankfully, new cars are now becoming available and we are gradually catching up. Recently we have taken delivery of four brand new Renault Clios and there are more to come.

Given that some people are still very wary of using public transport, demand for car rentals has also been increasing so again, if you need a car please let us know well in advance.

Of course, as ever, we have safety measures in place in the office when you come to collect a rental and all our vehicles are thoroughly cleaned and sanitised between each rental.

As ever, we are doing everything we can to help our customers to stay safe.

Book early to avoid disappointment

Book-Early

Book early to avoid disappointment

A combination of factors has led to increased demand for our rental vehicles so we are asking customers to allow five to seven days when booking to be sure of getting a rental.

With the school summer holidays approaching an end and more families choosing to holiday in the UK rather than go abroad for fear of getting caught by last-minute quarantine restrictions on return we have seen a spike in demand.

Added to this, as offices re-open after the lockdown and more people are returning to work there is still unease about using public transport and therefore renting vehicles to travel to work more safely.

We are also still operating with all the safety measures for cleaning vehicles between rentals and for ensuring you can visit our offices safely for either vehicle collection or return.

This combination means that if you are hoping to fit in a last-minute holiday we will need some warning to be sure of being able to provide you with a vehicle.

We really don’t want any of our customers to be disappointed!

Staycations are on the rise

Staycations-on-the-rise

Research Shows Staycations are on the Rise

http://www.travelbulletin.co.uk/news-mainmenu/the-rise-of-staycations-expected-to-continue-over-summer-2019

11 April 2019

More British holidaymakers are choosing to stay close to home this summer instead of travelling abroad as the trend for staycations continues to grow, according to data gleaned from booking details and online travel searches by British consumers.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8451001/The-return-Great-British-staycation-Holidaymakers-book-breaks-hotspots-July-4.html

Brits will be able to take holidays in beauty spots in places like Devon and Cornwall – as the Prime Minister officially announced staycations from July 4.

Boris Johnson made the announcement in the House of Commons, paving the way for families languishing in lockdown to finally get away from a break. 

Hotels were given the green light to throw open their doors as long as they were kept clean and safe.

Holidaymakers will expect to see some big changes when they do finally start their staycation. They include:

  • Contactless check-in at hotels, bed and breakfast and camp sites
  • Campers will have to stay in their car until they are directed to their pitch
  • In all settings they will be expected to stay over a metre apart from someone else
  • Breakfast buffets and mini bars are all out for the time being
  • Visitors could be asked to bring their own toilets with them
  • Guests will also be asked to bring their own hand sanitiser and soap
  • All paperwork and phones will be removed from hotel rooms
  • Camp sites will clean their toilets six times a day

https://www.financialreporter.co.uk/blogs/e-year-of-the-staycation-utilising-holiday-let-opportunities-in-2020.html

After the Government confirmed that it is revising the 14-day quarantine measures for a number of popular overseas destinations, this leads to the question: how many people will be comfortable travelling abroad for their holidays and how many will opt to stay within the UK borders?

At the moment, it appears that staycations are tipping the balance. After another Government announcement around the reopening of the hospitality sector in England from 4 July, holiday bookings across the UK are reported to have risen significantly with coastal counties and holiday destinations, such as Devon and Cornwall, seeing notable surges. Although when you see the recent photos taken at some coastal resorts, the back garden, a tent, a BBQ and ready access to fridge with an array of cold beverages also remains attractive! Hoseasons and Cottages.com, two of the largest self-catered holiday accommodation providers in the UK, were said to have recently seen their best online sales days, with the former seeing a booking every 11 seconds, and the latter seeing a 455% surge. Sykes Holiday Cottages saw similar growth, with a 417% booking growth over the past month, and a 221% growth compared to the previous June. These figures demonstrate the demand for a post-lockdown break and how many people either can’t afford an overseas holiday or are choosing to holiday in the UK.