VIBHA VERMA
PANJIM: Be in Goa for the New Year season and pay five times more to rent a bike! With the flow of tourists picking up since Christmas-eve and the tourism industry expecting a footfall of more than three-lakh visitors, the bike and car rentals have increased by at least five times more than during than the off-peak season..
The charges per day have touched Rs 1,500 for a non-geared two-wheeler while a geared bike is rented out at not less than Rs 2,500-3,000. Similarly, rented cars are hired above Rs 3,000 – night charges extra while for an open Gypsy or an Innova you could be paying 4000 plus.
A travel agency, located in Patto-Panjim, said the recently concluded electronic music festivals at Vagator and Candolim, and the influx of tourists for Christmas and New Year is the reason for the massive increase in rents.
“A non-geared bike is being rented out between Rs 750 and Rs 1,000. Non-geared bikes like Hero Honda Passion are hired at Rs 800-1,000 while Royal Enfield at Rs 1,800-2,000. These are per-day rates,” he said.
Though the rates are surely burning a hole in their pockets, the tourists do not mind shelling out money for the yellow registration plated vehicles. There are also instances wherein bike rental agencies run short of bikes against the increasing demand.
“We have to ask people when do they want the vehicles and when they can return them, so that accordingly we can reserve the bikes for future clients. Not a single rented bike remains on many occasions,” Diana Sequeira, proprietor of a Candolim-based tour and travel agency that also lends bikes on hire, told Herald. “Bullets are given on hire at minimum Rs 2,500.”
One of the oldest and popular bikes/car rental agency in the capital, J A Carvalho said the rates will fall after January 1, 2014 as is the trend every year. “There are ample tourists descending in Goa from mid-December in view of several glittering events happening across the state. Mostly married couples and young Indian tourists prefer going around on bikes,” he said.
The agency comparatively has low rates as it charges around Rs 1,000 for rented geared as well as non-geared bikes. “It is only during the peak season that the rentals are high,” he commented.
The rates do not include cost of fuel for which a rider has to separately spend money depending on the number of hours or days.
The two-wheeler, until over a week back was given on hire at Rs 500 approximately which was Rs 250 to Rs 300 during the off-tourist season. Car rentals have also soared but most of the tourists, including foreigners– who have learnt the art of bargaining –- prefer travelling across the state on bikes.
The Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) has not taken the hikes in a good taste. TTAG President Francisco Braganza told Herald, “They do so every year. This year the increase was exploitative.
An Innova has been leased during the EDM festivals at Rs 8000, which is totally unreasonable
