Kenya Car Hire Services

 

Hiring of vehicles for travel either on business or leisure travel is really catching on. The convenience of a rental for a certain period as opposed to maintaining a car or in the case of corporates maintaining a fleet is quite expensive.

A lot of companies are offering rental services but it’s not all rosy as one might think it would be.  Different companies are offering the same services but the standard differ and you might end up having an awful experience or parting with a large portion of your hard earned money. Lets break it down a bit.

1.  Contract.

Before hiring a vehicle you need to sign a contract with the rental company, the contract should clearly state how long the hire period will be, the amount you should pay for the rental and liability in case of an accident or theft of the vehicle.  If you don’t understand the liability or it’s not explained to your satisfaction insist on a clarification and if it’s no futile do not sign the contract.

2. Check and test drive the vehicle.

It’s very important to check the vehicle for dents on the body and if there are any they should be documented. You should check for a spare tire, the jerk, wheel spanner, lock nut, life savers and fire extinguisher.

Some vehicles have extra security features which caution you and the rental company against theft however this gadgets are sophisticated and well hidden within the vehicle and if you don’t master them well initially this might cause some inconveniences. It’s wise to start and stop the engine a couple of times to get conversant with the system.  Take a test drive of the vehicle; speed a little bit and break just to get the feel and stability of the vehicle.

3. Requirements.

You require a valid international driver’s license or a driver’s license from point of origin. You require a passport or national identity card. You can only hire a vehicle if you are between the ages of twenty three and seventy five and you should have held the license for the past two years prior to the hire period.

You are required to pay all the amount up front and in cases where by the rental is on “self drive”   the hirer is expected to pay an excess deposit. The amount is meant to caution the rental company against theft of the vehicle or damage of the same which would renders the vehicle to be un road worthy.

If this were to happen the insurance company could ask for some money i.e 10% worth of the vehicle in order to replace the vehicle and that liability lies with the hirer. However if the vehicle was chauffeur driven the liability will lie with the chauffeur and not the hirer.

4. Caution

It’s advisable to follow the traffic rules and not assume that since you are in Africa that you can cut corners; you will land yourself in jail.  Another cautionary measure is that once you pay your excess deposit on the final day of the rental you should call your contact person at the rental company and let them know what time you will be returning the vehicle and that you expect your deposit back in full because the vehicle is in the same condition as issued.