Though Ottawa’s 51-day transit strike dealt a severe blow to the local economy, many car-related businesses emerged as winners.
The demand for vehicles went up sharply across the city from the time the strike began December 10.
Matt Shelley, who works at Thrifty Car Rental on Laurier Avenue, says every car in his lot has been rented out for more than 40 days.
He says most people call numerous companies trying to secure a reservation, only to be disappointed.
“They’re expecting to be turned down now,” says Shelley.
Several other companies, including Budget and Enterprise, are also booked solid.
Most had waiting lists weeks ago.
Pawan Deol, a graduate student at Carleton University, called 10 different rental companies.
They all told her more than once she had a car waiting for her.
“They would tell me the car was on its way, so I would show up and there was nothing,” she says.
“They said people were not returning on time, or calling at the last minute to extend their rental. It was a complete nightmare.”
Shelley estimates it costs a driver about $45 a day to rent and fuel an average economy-class vehicle in Ottawa.
Rates have gone up as demand has increased, but Shelley says renting is still far cheaper than paying for multiple cab rides.
Another route many people are exploring is car-sharing.
Ottawa’s sole car-share company, Vrtucar, has seen a significant increase in inquiries as a result of the strike.
“There was already an awareness that was beginning to happen (before the strike),” says Barbara Griffin, the company’s operations manager. “We’ve been busy for quite some time.”
Vrtucar’s 1,100 members pay a flat monthly fee, plus a mileage rate that ranges between 11 and 45 cents per kilometer and an hourly rental rate of around $2.75.
The company takes care of insurance and repair costs for its vehicles.
“(Members) also don’t need to book a car for 24 hours if they don’t need it,” says Griffin. “So it’s more cost-effective.”
Some commuters even opt to buy a vehicle.
“We’ve had a couple customers come in and say they’re only buying a car because OC Transpo is on strike,” says Shawn Cyr of Canada Motor Car, a used car company.
Griffin says she thinks people will continue to do anything to get around until the buses are back.
“I hear it’s going to take several weeks for the system to get back to normal,” she says. “So we’re expecting that we’ll continue to be busy.”