If you want to travel and reach your destination, you consider a shuttle. For example, you can get from Cairns to Port Douglas with Beep Beep Toot airport shuttle. You can reach your destination with the help of this transport service. Other travelers also consider hiring a car rental. But how to get to the rental car first without, umm, having a car?
There really should be no arranging rides or calling Uber when it comes to getting to a rental car. Most rental car centers actually offer easy and convenient pick-up and drop-off service. Usually all it takes is a quick phone call to the rental location or adding it to the reservation to schedule the service. Pick-up and drop-off services are free of charge-well, more like it's included in the rental fee already-but I'll take it if it means I don't have to stress about calling and paying for a cab or an Uber.
But there are a couple of catches. For starters, most rental car companies only offer the service at local centers. (This means no airports but that is why an airport shuttle exists.) Timing can also be an issue. Because staff perform the pick-ups and drop-offs, these can only occur during business hours.
For example, Hertz only offers its service one hour after opening and one hour prior to closing making it a little less convenient. This is especially crucial on Sundays when they have shortened hours.
| Car Agency | Pick-Up and Return Service? | Minimum Distance Required |
|---|---|---|
| Alamo | No | n/a |
| Avis | Pick-up only. Offer pickup and drop-off for “Car in Shop” rentals. | 5 miles |
| Budget | Pick-up only. | Depends on location |
| Dollar | Yes | Depends on location |
| Enterprise | Yes | Depends on location |
| Fox | Only to and from the airport | n/a |
| Hertz | Yes | 15 miles |
| National | No | n/a |
| Payless | No | n/a |
| Thrifty | No | n/a |
