Demand for rental vehicles stays high

Robertsons

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

Robertsons

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!

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Merry Christmas

Robertsons

Happy Christmas

The team here at Robertsons wish you all a

Very Happy Christmas

and a

prosperous and happy New Year

Blog Christmas Robertsons Van Hire Xmas

Book vans early for Christmas

Robertsons

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.

Blog Christmas Robertsons Van Hire Xmas

Reassurance for customers

Robertsons

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”.

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Buying online is soaring and so is demand for our vans

Robertsons

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.

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Book early to avoid disappointment

Robertsons

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!

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Staycations are on the rise

Robertsons

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.

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Rentals increase as lockdown eases

Robertsons

Rentals increase as lockdown eases

Car and van rentals are increasing as people gradually return to work and some restrictions on lockdown are lifted.

As some recycling centres have been opened and house move restrictions have lifted demand for vans has surged, also increased by contractors returning to work.

Although we have introduced safety restrictions to help customers and staff stay safe from the pandemic, we believe we are the only vehicle rental company in the area to have managed to stay open throughout the lockdown.

We are currently looking at re-opening on Saturdays for customers to collect vehicles for weekend rental.

While nothing is set in stone as no-one really knows what will happen as restrictions continue to be gradually eased, we are advising customers to think ahead if they wish to rent a vehicle, whether car or van given the steady growth in rentals we have experienced recently.

Please call to book well ahead of when you will need a vehicle to enable us to complete as much of the paperwork as possible.

Hygiene and social distancing measures at our offices will remain in place for the foreseeable future, however, so we ask to be patient when they come to pick up a vehicle.

Robertsons

Blog Lockdown Rentals Robertsons

Business as usual – well almost!

Robertsons

Business as usual – well almost!

We believe we are one of the few remaining vehicle rental businesses continuing to rent to private customers.

So, it is business as usual, but, of course, because of the Coronavirus pandemic, with modifications.

Mindful of both staff and customer safety, we are allowing only one customer into the office when they come to complete the paperwork and pick up their vehicles.

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 spray cleaned with anti-bacterial cleaner and wiped before each customer goes out with a vehicle.

Office hours have been reduced very slightly and we are asking all customers to make sure they ring us before 4pm if they need to speak to us.

Anyone who wants a vehicle during a weekend is getting a little extra for their money! We are asking all weekend renters to collect their vehicles on Fridays, which means they get some extra hours for free.

These are the arrangements for the foreseeable future and please be assured we are doing everything we can to ensure your safety.

Take care and stay safe.

Blog Business COVID Robertsons Vehicle Hire

Tag: Robertsons

Demand for rental vehicles stays high

Latest lockdown changes to keep everyone safe

Happy Christmas

Book vans early for Christmas

Reassurance for customers

Buying online is soaring and so is demand for our vans

Book early to avoid disappointment

Research Shows Staycations are on the Rise

Rentals increase as lockdown eases

Business as usual – well almost!