SINGAPORE: Some vehicle rental firms are seeing about 30 per cent more business this Hari Raya, compared to last year.

Big families are also renting more SUVs and small buses to make their visits together, amid higher Certificate of Entitlement (COE) prices and private transportation costs.

Ms Nuraini Kamilah, for instance, has rented a 23-seater bus as her extended family will be making 12 different stops amid the festivities.

"When we have different cars driving together, sometimes we will arrive faster than the rest, sometimes later than the rest, and then we need to coordinate," she said.

“This year we just want to have everybody in one bus. It's very convenient."

SAVING TIME AND MONEY

Mr Jitesh Dhillon, director and owner of bus rental firm Singapore Bus Charter, said the number of rentals has gone up about 30 per cent. His whole fleet was fully booked over Hari Raya, and demand remains high for weekends for the rest of April.

“This year, demand is quite high, (compared) to last year… all of them want to be together in one place, and they want to travel together. Hence, I think this would be a more viable option for them," he said.

Some car rental firms told CNA that they had to activate their standby cars for the holiday. 

Car rental agency Ride Now said that their rentals have become more popular amid rising COE prices.

"So usually, we have the bookings two months in advance, but this year, we are seeing the bookings come in earlier, like three to four months. They were already inquiring for Hari Raya (months ahead)," said the firm's sales manager Travis Seah.

Families told CNA that high costs for fuel, parking and maintenance have driven them from car ownership towards renting on an ad-hoc basis.

Larger SUVs are the most popular rental choice during the Hari Raya holiday, followed by regular sedans.

"I think the cost of transportation right now definitely is higher, and it's a public holiday, so definitely the cost is higher if we (use public transport)," said car renter Huda Ibrahim.

"And we have to go to different places…so it will (also) ease the time factor for us," she said.

ORDERING FESTIVE FEASTS

Meanwhile, festive catering orders during the Hari Raya period have jumped by as much as 35 per cent compared to last year as more people - especially young families - chose to skip the hassle of cooking.

Nazreen Catering, for instance, has served up to 7,000 people daily, about 30 to 35 per cent more than last year. 

The catering service, which specialises in Biryani Dum, expects the higher demand to last for the next three weeks.

Despite the higher workload, the company has kept to the usual 10 workers daily, its operations manager Mohammad Jameel K Jamaludeen said.

The increase in demand comes as more families prefer to order festive feasts instead of sweating it out in the kitchen.

Some seniors who in the past insisted on cooking for the family said they are now happy to outsource it.

"It's just too tiring and taxing for them to be doing the cooking on their own for 30 or 40 over people. It's quite difficult for them at their age," said customer Shafik Yusope, adding he is willing to spend on reliable and familiar caterers.

Another F&B business Aspirasi Food Galore and Catering, which has been serving its signature chicken rice for over 20 years, said that its delivery sales have doubled this period. 

Customers have even been willing to self-collect at its physical outlets when it reaches maximum capacity for deliveries, the establishment added.

However, it noted that fewer people are dining out at its stalls and overall sales have fallen about 20 per cent, compared to last year.

Still, demand for deliveries remains high and the firm expects the trend to last for the entire month, especially on weekends.

"In previous years, mostly people would come out and bring their family, but now (they) seldom (do that)," said owner Zainuddin Sajat, who hopes to add festive lighting and even buskers to attract more foot traffic to his stalls in the future.

“This year, I can see that (they mostly pack to go).”