Demand for rental cars is high ahead of Easter, and in Stockholm some companies are almost out of stock. Bookings show that many Swedes are planning to travel during the long weekend.
A survey conducted by TT among the largest car rental companies shows that many Swedes are planning to travel at Easter. Avis, Circle K, Europcar, Hertz and OKQ8 are all seeing high pressure on bookings.
Last spring, the call from authorities and the government was: Do not travel at Easter. Concerns about a strained healthcare system caused the authorities to slow down. This year, the Public Health Agency is not introducing any new restrictions for the big holiday. The call is to follow existing recommendations.
The rush for rental cars and a more modest demand for bus and train tickets may be a sign that people are now planning for infection-free travel.
”Yes, it is an interesting signal that speaks for it,” says Anders Tegnell, state epidemiologist.
Europcar has higher pressure ahead of Easter 2021 than in 2020. But it varies across the country. In Stockholm the increase is 50 percent and in Malmö 20 percent. Bookings closer to the mountain areas – Mora and Östersund specifically – are 20 percent fewer than last year.
Hertz has 20 percent more bookings over Easter 2021 than Easter 2020. In Malmö and central Stockholm, it is almost fully booked on Maundy Thursday. Bookings are concentrated in the city centers while rental offices at the airports are losing.
OKQ8 has run out of cars in the central parts of Stockholm, in the outer areas there are a few left. Avis sees a change in behavior in the form of customers booking later and wanting the car for longer. Many book for a whole week.
Prime Minister Stefan Löfven urges people to avoid large Easter celebrations. In the Stockholm region and in the Västerbotten region, infectious disease control doctors are appealing to refrain from traveling altogether unless it is necessary. Anders Tegnell does not see the different messages as problematic.
”"No, they are based on the different regions' different situations in the spread of the infection right now. Where in some places there is an increase and pressure on the healthcare system that means you have to be clearer about certain things. We end up at one level nationally and a slightly different level regionally depending on the situation," he says.
Circle K is seeing increased demand for cars during this year's Easter weekend, but it's no different from major holidays before the pandemic. However, they are noting a decrease in demand for minibuses, which can accommodate more passengers than a regular passenger car.
Train and bus companies only sell tickets for half of the seats, which makes it more difficult for them to draw conclusions about increased or decreased demand.
SJ has sold about half of the available tickets, or a quarter of the seats on the trains. The exception is a few departures between Stockholm and Malmö, which are almost sold out.
The MTR train company is seeing more train tickets booked during the Easter weekend than before and after Easter. But there are still tickets left for all departures.
Vy Tåg, which operates night trains between Stockholm and Narvik, sees increased demand for tickets around the Easter weekend compared to a normal week.
So does their sister company Bus4you. With them, bookings have started to creep up and they expect that 50 percent of the seats that are available will be booked up.
Source: TT
