Buses, but also car sharing and rental. While the LGV Atlantic, North and East railway lines are severely affected by the sabotage that occurred during the night, nearly 800,000 SNCF passengers are shocked and looking for a solution. Since Friday morning, some car rental agencies have been facing a sharp increase in demand, especially in Paris.
Significant increases
Contacted by BFM Business, Europcar noted a “significant increase” in “one-way” bookings during the day, i.e. vehicle pick-ups without returning to the departure station.
The same trend is seen at Sixt, but also at Getaround, which has seen a 75% increase in bookings, i.e. double the number seen in the previous two weeks.
“It is particularly in Paris where the increase in demand is felt, with 50% more bookings, while in Bordeaux the increase is 45%,” explains a spokesperson for Getaround.
A request not always easy to fulfill
If increased demand generates additional activity, it is not always easy to respond. In fact, many vehicles have already been rented several months in advance for the summer period.
Europcar demonstrates this by highlighting the “limited numbers”, i.e. around a hundred one-way bookings. “We have little flexibility to meet these last-minute requests,” the company explains.
“We are studying how to transfer cars from other stations to our stations, but in Paris it is almost impossible due to traffic jams related to the Olympic Games,” Europcar continues.
In addition to the lack of cars, tourists may also have problems with the computers at the agencies. This is the case for one passenger who saw his train cancelled this afternoon.
“I am thinking of going to La Baule from Paris and I would like to be able to rent a car. Unfortunately, there are computer discrepancies between what is available online and what is actually available at the agency,” he tells BFMTV.
“We were told there was no car, even though it had already been confirmed,” he laments.
Source: BFM TV
