Is it Safe to Rent a Car During-the Pandemic

With the current pandemic making its rounds around the globe for the third phase, it’s no surprise if you’ve grown wary of even stepping out of your house to run some errands. However, the same can’t be said if you have to step out for urgent matters that require your full attention.

While you may have gotten used to the new normal, i.e. wearing a face mask whenever you go out and sanitising your hands regularly, it’s hard to predict whether those around you will maintain the highest level of hygiene.

As most but not all Singaporeans rely on the island’s public transportation to get around the city, you may be wary of using it during this pandemic. Aside from its sheer convenience, you’ll be sharing air with several strangers in close spaces, which increases the risk of exposing yourself to infectious airborne particles like COVID-19.

That said, renting a car during this pandemic seems to be a feasible solution. However, you may also be wondering whether it’s safe to rent a car during this tough time. How likely are you to get infected from your car rental? Is it worth the rental cost? Here are a few things you need to know about renting a car during this pandemic.

How is the virus transmitted?

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, various governments have made it compulsory for their citizens to wear a mask and sanitise themselves regularly. If you ever wondered about the extremity of such measures, you should first understand how the virus is transmitted.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) states that COVID-19 spreads when an infected person is in close contact with another, especially when they cough, sneeze, speak, sing or breathe heavily. As the liquid particles from their mouth or nose vary in sizes, it can range from small aerosol-like particles to large respiratory droplets.

Additionally, the virus can be transmitted indoor, in a crowded and inadequately ventilated spaces where an infected person(s) spends long hours with other, such as restaurants, workspaces, places of worship, fitness classes, etc.

If an infected person sneezes or coughs into his/her hands’ proceeds to contaminate various surfaces or objects without cleaning their hands beforehand, the likelihood of infecting others remains high.

Is it safe to rent a car?

Now that you know how the virus is transmitted, you should look into what car rental companies are doing to ensure the safety of its customers. That way, you can safely make your short-term car rental reservation with peace of mind.

In many cases, car rental companies may abide by the government’s COVID-19 guidelines to constantly clean and disinfect every rental car to minimise the spread of the virus. Ahead, we’re sharing some of the things that car rental companies are doing to ensure your safety.

Thorough cleaning programme

Designed to reassure customers like you that your car rental is clean and virus-free, car rental companies will conduct a thorough cleaning procedure on any of their rented vehicles by focusing on high-touch areas.

This includes cleaning and wiping the exterior and interior of the vehicle with a recommended disinfectant – the doors, doorjambs, door pockets, areas between the seats, steering wheel, accessory panel, console, cup holders, compartments, instrument panel, as well as the seats.

If you’re still wary about the cleaning process of your car rental, you can bring along extra disinfecting materials to sanitise some of the high-touch surfaces of the car. That way, you can safely proceed with your plans in your rented vehicle.

Contactless pick-up/return

With the dawn of contactless technology, car rental companies are also turning to contactless methods to minimise the risk of COVID-19 infection between its employees and customers.

Back in the day, car rental companies will assign one of their personnel to hand the car key over to you and explain all there is when you rent a car. However, the current pandemic has changed this.

Instead of assigning a rental agent to take care of your car rental needs, you may receive notifications from the company on the rental procedure and pick-up process of your car via the company’s dedicated rental application, or email. That way, you can safely pick-up your car rental without any concern.

Depends on your car rental company’s take on this global pandemic, you can choose to question how they ensure that the car is safe to rent during this challenging time. If the company refuses to disclose such information, you can safely rent a vehicle from other car rental companies in Singapore like Edmund Vehicle Rental.

At Edmund Vehicle Rental, we provide both short and long term car rental services to help alleviate your transportation worries during this challenging time. If you’re keen on renting a car from us, simply contact us at (65) 6250 3339 or email enquiries@edmundvehiclerental.com.sg.