The summer travel season is going strong, if the demand at area garages and car rental agencies are any indicator.
“In the past month-and-a-half, it’s been hard to keep a car in the parking lot,” said Greg Forester, manager at the Northgate Avis Rent-A-Car location.
Forester said his site largely collects from the airport Avis location, but out there, managers have had to bus vehicles in to meet summer demand.
It’s not abnormal for things to be busy, he said; but what’s happening now is consuming almost every vehicle he has available.
Forester said by the end of this week, almost all the vehicles available for rent at the Northgate Avis will be gone.
It’s thanks almost entirely to leisure travel.
According to AAA, over 37 million Americans took a road trip over 50 miles around Memorial Day to start off summer – the highest that number has been in 10 years.
The group has higher projections for Independence Day weekend. According to AAA, around 41 million Americans will hit the road around July 4, and that’s also a return to pre-Recession numbers.
In its pre-Independence Day weekend news release, AAA urges drivers taking their own vehicles on vacation to take normal precautions and have things checked out.
Unexpected problems with bad car batteries and bad tires leave thousands crippled on the side of the road each year, the group says.
In fact, AAA projects it will wind up rescuing around 360,000 motorists over the long, July 4 weekend this year.
Which is why many people opt for a rental, said Forester.
For around $35 a day, many car rental agencies – Avis included – will lend a vehicle with to licensed drivers 25 and older and offer unlimited mileage.
But for the ones who do opt to take their personal vehicle, and who do follow AAA’s advice on pre-trip maintenance, there’s still a business boon here at home.
Around all holidays – Mother’s Day and Father’s Day included – Robert Amini, assistant service manager at Hixson’s Pep Boys location, says the shop sees a lot of tire rotation, oil change and balance jobs come through the bay doors.
“Tire rotations and oil changes – oil changes do sort of ramp up,” he said.
Also, thanks to the extreme heat, “we’ve been busy with AC work the last couple of works,” said Amini.
And like air conditioners, chemical and conventional wet batteries are also prone to give out when temperatures take an extreme turn toward hot or cold, especially ones.
Knowing the cost of unexpected car trouble, Amini said Pep Boys normally runs specials throughout the season for oil changes and air conditioner repair.
Contact staff writer Alex Green at agreen@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6480.