Cheap Car, High Fees

This is a problem that plagues the car rental industry and unfortunately their is no relief in sight.

The problem? Outrageous fees and taxes when you rent a car.

My latest experience was a 4 day rental at the DFW airport. The total cost of the car was $51 which was a fantastic deal. The outrage was the $40 in fees and taxes tacked on to the rental. That's right! The fees and taxes added nearly 80% to the rental cost.

Heck, income taxes as bad as they can be don't climb that high. But in this case the politicans who approved these taxes and fees love them since they normally are paid by travelers who aren't voters in the cities they travel to. I am just so happy to know that my money is paying for things like fancy car rental facilities, sports stadiums and even police stations. And since travelers don't have a vote you can expect the fees and taxes to continue their upward spiral and I bet we aren't that far awy from the day when taxes and fees exceed the rental cost.

My answer to this is to use shared rides whenever possible and skip the rental. In some cases it would be far cheaper to use a shuttle van to and from the airport along with a taxi to get around town than to rent a car.

I have already reduced the number of car rentals on business trips to save money and aggravation.

Try it. You might find it both liberating and rewarding.